The Shalishi Sabha in West Bengal, or popularly known as Kangaroo courts, equivalent to the Khap Panchayat, once again has taken law into their own hands as the Sabha forced a man to cut his wife’s hair as the punishment for adultery in Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district.

Reports said that a 32-year-old woman was accused by the Shalishi Sabha of Chnadpur village in Nowda Police Station limits, of having an extra-marital affair. The Sabha then asked the woman along with her husband to pay Rs. 6,000 to the Sabha as cost of honor.

Sources in media said, “The couple could manage Rs 1,000 and pleaded the Shalishi Sabha to let them go. However, the kangaroo court refused to budge and demanded that the husband cut the hair of the accused woman if the Shalishi Sabha was not paid the demanded money. On Sunday, the Shalishi Sabha was called again and the husband was forced to cut the hair of his wife in full public glare.”

The FIR has been lodged by the accused, along with his kin in the Nowda Police Station. Officials of Nowda Police Station, while speaking to media said, “We nabbed two accused Imadul Sheikh and Liton Sheikh from within our police station limits.”

The Shalishi Sabhas or Kangaroo courts are infamous in West Bengal for pronouncing inhuman judgments on women to be raped, tied to trees, lynched and paraded naked.

By Prajakt K