By IANS,
Kolkata : A 57-year-old man died Sunday after he was beaten up by residents of a West Bengal village for allegedly proposing marriage to a 10-year-old girl, the police said.
The incident took place in Baniagaon village under Alipurduar police station in Jalpaiguri district, some 550 km from here.
“Satyananda Goludi was tied to a roadside tree and beaten continuously for over two hours by villagers Saturday evening for allegedly proposing marriage to his 10-year-old neighbour Rina. Police came and rescued him. He had suffered serious head, chest and abdominal injuries,” a senior police official at the Alipurduar police station said.
“Goludi died Sunday afternoon,” the officer said.
According to the police, Goludi, a bachelor, was very affectionate towards Rina since she was three years old.
The girl spent hours at his place every day and often the man got small gifts for her. However, the villagers thought it to be fatherly love, the police said.
But when Rina went to meet Goludi Saturday afternoon, he proposed marriage to her and said if she married him, he will get her gold jewellery. Rina returned home and told her father about the incident.
“Rina’s father, along with about eight villagers, dragged Goludi out of his house, tied him to a tree and beat him up for at least two hours,” the police added.
No one has been arrested so far in this regard, the police said.