A video of a man doing squads as punishment for allegedly raping a little girl in a village located in the Nawada district of India's Bihar state has sparked outrage on social media.
The clip of the "punishment" is being widely shared online, with numerous netizens slamming the "patriarchal" mindset of the village elders, as well as how sexual predators roam freely in some places of India.
"Instead of strict punishment, mere 5 sit-ups seemed appropriate to Panchayat in Bihar for crime like rape of 6-yr-old girl. What a mockery? Does it serve right to the accused?" one fuming Twitter user asked.
Another netizen expressed shock and disbelief, saying: "...A man rapes a minor girl in Bihar. No FIR, no arrests. The panchayat "sentenced" the rape accused to do sit-ups 5 times & then dismissed the case! That's how trivial a rape is to such people! And we're talking about a 6 year old victim!!"
"What should be the punishment for the rape of a 6-year-old girl? According to panchayat in Nawada, Bihar, 6 sit-ups. Then we ask why women are not safe in India," a third added.
The man allegedly raped the minor girl at a poultry farm after luring her with chocolate. The girl's screams alerted villagers, who caught him and took him to the panchayat (village council).
However, the council decided not to register a police complaint against him and chose to announce their own punishment against the accused.
According to the village council, he wasn't found guilty of raping the child and thus couldn't be punished for it. But he was eventually given a punishment of five sit-ups for taking the girl to an isolated place.
The victim girl's family, however, registered a first information report (FIR) for the alleged rape.
As the uproar over the crime grew, Nawada's Superintendent of Police Gaurav Mangla confirmed that an FIR had already been filed and the police were investigating the case.
He further said that those who were involved in suppressing the incident would also be booked.
He further said that those who were involved in suppressing the incident would also be booked.