Medieval Barbarity in Kolkata: Young Man, Father Stripped and Paraded Naked Over Love Affair

Can disapproval of a romantic relationship ever justify assault, intimidation or the public humiliation of people by stripping them naked and forcing them to walk through the streets?

This harrowing question has come to haunt the City of Joy after a shocking incident of medieval barbarity and inhuman cruelty in Basundhara Park, under the Sarsuna police station area near Behala in south Kolkata.

The family of a young woman allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, his father and a friend, stripped them and paraded them naked through the locality. The accused also allegedly threatened to shoot the young man, brandishing a firearm.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage in the neighbourhood and elsewhere in the city.

Police rushed to the spot after receiving information and arrested three people, including the young girl's father and maternal uncle.

Parents of the girl opposed to the relationship

According to local residents and police, the young man and woman, both residents of the Sarsuna area, were in a romantic relationship that was strongly opposed by the girl's family.

On Sunday, October 25, the couple reportedly met at Basundhara Park. The woman's maternal uncle and other family members allegedly caught them in an intimate moment, triggering the confrontation.

The young man's father was subsequently summoned to the spot over the telephone. What followed, according to the allegations, was an act of shocking cruelty.

In front of his son, the father was allegedly handed a gun and presented with a horrifying ultimatum: either he must kill his own son or strip naked and walk along the road.

The young man and his father were subsequently stripped and paraded through the locality. One of the young man's friends was also subjected to similar humiliation.

The screams and commotion drew local residents to the scene. Passers-by were stunned by the alleged spectacle, while the victim's family recounted the ordeal to angry neighbours.

As news of the incident spread, public anger erupted. A group of residents reportedly converged on the girl's house and partially vandalised it. A large police contingent from Sarsuna police station arrived promptly to control the situation.

Although the lady's father and other members fled from the scene, the mother and maternal uncle were caught by the agitated crowd, assaulted and subsequently handed over to the police.

The girl's family, some residents alleged, had earlier been known to be close to a local Trinamool Congress councillor and claimed that political connections had emboldened them.

Both the victim and his father are said to be deeply traumatised by the incident. Residents have demanded the immediate arrest of all those involved and exemplary punishment for the accused.

The Sarsuna police have initiated a detailed investigation into the incident.

Beyond the immediate outrage, the episode raises a fundamental question: who has the right to enforce personal morality through violence and such drastic public humiliation?

Disagreement over a relationship can never justify the stripping of human dignity in such a daringly crude and shocking manner and that too, in City of Joy.