A video of a distressing incident unfolded in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district, has caused widespread concern where a woman can be seen crying in distress, desperately calling for help while a man forcefully carries out a marriage ritual, holding her in his arms.
The incident was brought to light by an AAP leader Naresh Balyan, who shared it on Twitter and raised questions about the lack of action in the incident.
Reacting to the video, Chief of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal tagged Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and demanded action be taken against the accused.
In her tweet, Maliwal wrote: “This video is being told by the media of Jaisalmer. According to reports, a girl was kidnapped in public and forced to marry her by lighting a fire in a barren desert. This is a very shocking and frightening incident. Yes, investigate the matter and take action."
According to the family members, the 23-year-old woman was abducted and forcefully subjected to a “marriage" by the man in video, mere days before her scheduled wedding with another man. The distressing video began circulating on social media, capturing the abductor carrying the woman in his arms and conducting a wedding ritual around a fire in an open ground.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s national spokesperson and Jaipur Rural MP Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore also attacked the Congress-led Rajasthan government. He wrote: “Jungle Raj prevails in the infamous Congress misrule! In Jaisalmer, a girl is kidnapped openly and forced to marry her in a barren desert. No police came, no arrest was made? Rajasthan is ashamed of such incidents under the protection of power! When will all this be controlled? How long will our sisters and daughters live under the shadow of fear?"
