Kolkata cops parade three accused bare-chested for forcing teen and father to walk naked

Police on Tuesday paraded three arrested men bare-chested and in shorts through a south Kolkata locality to reconstruct a moral policing incident in which a teenage boy, his father, and a friend were forced to walk naked for kissing a girl.

A day after their arrest, the 13-year-old girl's father, uncle, and elder brother were taken through the area barefoot with ropes tied around their waists, a police official said. Many termed the action instant justice for the vigilantism witnessed on Sunday evening within the Sarsuna Police Station limits, where the 17-year-old boy was caught kissing his girlfriend by her family.

Following the incident on Sunday, the boy and his friend were held captive in a room and assaulted by the girl's parents and maternal uncle. The teenager was then allegedly forced to call his father to the location.

"After I reached there, I was also assaulted by at least six people. Then the girl's maternal uncle gave me a gun, saying that I have two options. One is to shoot my son or walk naked with him," the boy's father claimed in front of reporters. "People took videos of me, my son and his friend walking naked. It was such a humiliation for us."

A video, purportedly of the incident, has gone viral on social media. PTI, however, could not vouch for its veracity.

The crime came to light after the video of the boy, his father, and his friend being paraded naked surfaced online. The footage triggered outrage, leading an irate mob to allegedly attempt to vandalise the girl's house. Police rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

While some members of the girl's family fled before law enforcement arrived, locals caught her maternal uncle and handed him over to the authorities, a police officer said.

Police have arrested the girl's father, elder brother, and maternal uncle, and detained her mother. Officials stated they are actively investigating all allegations, including the reported use of a firearm, as further details are awaited.