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Haryana Panchayat Lets Alleged Rapist Off With Shoe Slaps And 5 Lakh Compensation

Haryana Panchayat Lets Alleged Rapist Off With Shoe Slaps And 5 Lakh Compensation

NEW DELHI/ BENGALURU -- A panchayat in Haryana has ordered that a man be beaten with shoes and fined Rs five lakh as punishment for allegedly raping a woman in the state's Hisar district, sparking sharp reactions from politicians.

Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee on Thursday said that one cannot buy the honour of a woman with money or by a beating with shoes to justify rape,while responding to Haryana panchayat who ordered shoe slaps and five lakh rupees as punishment to a man accused of raping a woman in Hisar district.

"This is not right that the Panchayat is asking the accused to pay 5 lakh rupees and by beating him with shoes you are punishing the accused, this is absolutely wrong. You cannot buy honor of a woman with money and justify rape. It is absolutely patriarchal. There should be thorough investigation in this matter. The panchayat are also elected representatives of the people, it is also their duty to uphold the law. They just cannot bypass the law of the country," Mukherjee told ANI here.

Expressing grief, Mukherjee added that it is a very grave situation and indicated that it is akin to living in a 'jungle raj'.

"There is no law and order in the country. And it is the rule of mob kind of a situation which is dangerous for a civilized society. Rape is a hideous crime and there should be social pressure to stop it," she said

Echoing similar statement, social activist Pramila Nesargi said that it is very unfortunate that the matter was wrapped up in such a way.

"It is very unfortunate that the matter was wrapped up in this way. No complaint was lodged, no police action was taken. What kind of a system is this?All the Panchayat members must be held responsible. Police should be held responsible for negligence and the accused must be taken into custody," Nesargi added.

The Haryana panchayat ordered five shoe slaps as punishment for the rape accused for raping a woman in Hisar district.

The panchayat also ordered the accused to pay a compensation of 5 lakhs.

The woman had lodged a police complaint against the accused, but before the officials could initiate any action, the panchayat ordered the punishment.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.