Narayanapuram (Andhra Pradesh):
A woman was allegedly tied to a tree and publicly humiliated by villagers in Narayanapuram of Chittoor district, following a dispute over unpaid loans, said police on Monday.
Sirisha (29), wife of Thimmarayappa had returned from Bengaluru on Monday to collect her children’s Transfer Certificates (TC) from their school when locals confronted her about the money borrowed by her husband.
Sirisha was allegedly tied to a tree by the locals and was asked to call her husband to repay the money and her daughter hit a local which escalated the situation, Kuppam DSP B Parthasarathi told PTI.
According to police, the couple owed around Rs 80,000 to a villager named Munikannappa and also some unspecified amount to local organisations.
A case was registered under BNS sections 115, 126, and 112 read with section 3 and police took five people into custody over the incident.
Sirisha told the police that her husband allegedly abandoned her six months ago in Bengaluru although investigators suspect that they may still be in touch regarding financial matters.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who represents the Kuppam assembly constituency, condemned the atrocity and ordered strict action against the culprits.
Naidu took details from the district Superintendent of Police and directed officials to provide full support to the victim’s family.
“Strict action be taken against those involved in the inhuman treatment of a woman in Narayanapuram village of Kuppam mandal,” said Naidu in an official release, adding that the woman was allegedly tied to a tree and humiliated because her husband, Thimmarayappa, failed to repay loans he had taken from the villagers.
Naidu instructed police to organise legal awareness drives in rural villages and said the public must rely on the law and refrain from vigilante justice.
He also stressed the need for basic legal education in every village.
The CM reiterated that his government ‘would not allow such incidents’ to take place and urged the police to take firm preventive measures in all regions.
Meanwhile, YSRCP MLC and Kuppam in-charge KRJ Bharat condemned the incident, calling it a “shameful act”.
Such cruelty in Kuppam exposes the lawlessness under the TDP-led government, he said.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y S Sharmila Reddy termed it an “inhuman and shameful act”.
Sharmila said it was a disgrace that such an incident happened in front of the victim’s children.
“As a woman, I strongly condemn this cruel incident,” said Sharmila in a press release, adding that this incident proved that even in the CM’s constituency, “women are not safe”.
She criticised the NDA coalition government, saying attacks on women are a blot on it, and tall claims about protecting Telugu women are no longer credible.
She demanded that the government take responsibility, ensure justice, provide support to Sirisha’s family, and prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, Minister Anitha and TDP MLC K Srikanth condemned the assault on Sirisha.
They contacted the victim through a video call, consoled her, and assured full support from the government while promising strict action against the accused.
They urged Sirisha to remain strong and said the government would ensure ‘justice is served without delay’.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
