- Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
IN an incident that has caused a massive outrage across India, six minor girls were allegedly paraded naked at a village in Damoh district of central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh as part of a ritual to please the rain god, official sources on Monday (6) said.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked for a report from the district administration over the incident which allegedly took place at a village named Baniya, some 50 kilometres from the district headquarters, in the Bundelkhand region of north-central India, one of the most drought-stricken ones in the country.
According to one official, a response would be submitted to the commission.
Damoh police superintendent DR Teniwar said they received information that some young girls were paraded naked to appease the rain god as part of a local ritual.
“Police are investigating the incident. Action will be taken if it is found that girls were forced to go naked,” he said, adding that villagers believed that the practice might result in rain.
The police officer also said that according to belief, young girls are made to walk naked with a wooden shaft on their shoulders with a frog tied to it. Women who accompany these girls sing bhajans (devotional songs) praising the rain god. In many parts of India, frog marriages are held to appease the rain god.
Damoh administrative officer S Krishna Chaitanya said the parents of the girls were involved in the incident and none of the villagers complained about the practice.
“In such cases, the administration can only make villagers aware about the futility of such superstition,” he told reporters.
Two videos of the incident surfaced showing the minor girls without clothes walking side by side with a wooden shaft on their shoulders with a frog tied to it. A group of women were seen singing bhajans while accompanying them.
Madhya Pradesh is currently under the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party of prime minister Narendra Modi.
