Lucknow, India -- A woman, branded nymphomaniac by a local tantrik, was stripped naked, tarred, her head shaved and paraded naked on a donkey in Chandpur under Sarai Aqueel police station of Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambhi district.
Known as Shastriji, the tantrik reportedly told his congregation that 17-year-old Usha had an insatiable sexual appetite and had slept with innumerable men. He said the teenager would continue to bed other men unless she was burnt alive on the stake for her infractions.
To make matters worse, Shastriji also held Usha responsible for the murder of a 5-year-old whose body was discovered in a pond some days ago. Claiming that he had seen the gruesome killing reenacted in a tumbler of mustard oil, the tantrik convinced everyone of Usha's guilt. She was subsequently denounced as a witch.
While many of the locals had made up their minds to consign Usha to the flames, what saved her was dissension from a section of the crowd. As a compromise, it was decided to publicly humiliate the girl by taking out a procession in which she would be carried naked. Usha's tormentors even shelled out money from their own pockets to hire a donkey and go through with their cruel plan.
Five people have so far been arrested in this connection. The charges against them include forcing a girl to strip, obscenity at a public place and assaulting her with canes. Vijay, Amarnath, Rajendra and Shyam Sunder are among those currently in police custody.
The local populace however hasn't taken kindly to the police action. Usha, they still believe, is a witch whom they had every right to attack. Although police say the child most likely drowned since the post-mortem report shows no external injury marks, no one seems willing to accept that explanation.
Senior police officials including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate are camping in the area to diffuse the situation following angry protests against the five arrests.