A man and a woman were publicly beaten in Chopra in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district. The incident drew widespread condemnation and drew calls for action against the perpetrators. However, the man, who was beaten up, believes that "whatever happened was good".
The viral video showed a man repeatedly beating the couple with a bamboo stick while bystanders form a circle around them. The attack allegedly occurred under the direction of local TMC leader Tajjimul Haque, also known as JCB.
Despite appearing terrified days after the incident, the man said he has no desire to pursue legal action against the accused, adding that he had agreed to the punishment meted out by the village's kangaroo court.
"Whatever happened was good. Now everything is settled, and we are at peace. I am at home. I don't want any more trouble in my life," the man told India Today, days after the video of the brutal assault went viral.
He explained that he accepted the punishment because he felt guilty for bringing the woman to his home despite her being married.
"I made a mistake by bringing the woman home," he confessed. "It was decided in the kangaroo meeting that both of us should be publicly beaten in the street as punishment, and we accepted it."
The man reiterated his acceptance of the punishment, stating, "I agreed to be beaten according to the decision. As a result, I wanted to be punished publicly as a small punishment decided in the arbitration meeting. I have no complaint against the accused TMC leader; I just want to be in peace."
The man said that being in an illicit relationship is a crime within their caste, and the punishment was justified as decided by the village meeting. He also mentioned that they are now able to live together peacefully, having been punished for their actions.
Meanwhile, the woman who was beaten publicly has filed a complaint over the incident being filmed.
