By IANS
Jaipur : Devising its own investigation into the rape and murder of a village woman, a Rajasthan panchayat (village council) asked over 1,500 men to strip and examined their bodies for injuries – a task that began early in the morning and ended late evening.
Life in Boraj village, 140 km from here in Ajmer district, came to a virtual standstill Monday as the panchayat took up its own probe into the murder of 35-year-old Geeta Rawat.
Her disfigured body was found in a nearby hill area Saturday evening and police suspect she was raped before being killed.
An examination of the crime scene revealed a struggle before the crime took place, and officials say that the killer may have been known to the victim.
Village elders then took the matter in their own hands and asked all the men to strip one by one, scrutinising each person for any extenuating marks. Panchayat members were also subjected to the same treatment.
“All the men between 10 to 60 years have been examined. We have not yet been able to locate the culprit, but if we find anything we will not allow him to eat or drink anything according to our tradition,” village headman Tara Rawat told IANS.
Police were happy too.
“The local panchayat was only trying to help the police in the probe,” a police official said.