Video of 2 men tied, shaved, and tortured in Kutch sparks outrage

SLUG: SEVERAL BOOKEDRajkot: A disturbing video showing two young men being humiliated — their heads and moustaches forcibly shaved — has gone viral on social media over the past two days in the Khavda area of Kutch district.Following the incident, a 26-year-old driver, Hakim Sama, filed a complaint at Khavda police station (Kutch West) against Noor Mohammad Sama, Hanif Sama, Rafiq Sama, Bhilal Sama, and others identified during the investigation. Police have booked the accused under sections pertaining to assault, rioting, wrongful confinement and attempt to breach of peace of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.According to Hakim's complaint, on the afternoon of Oct 31, he and his cousin Sadhak Sama had gone to the outskirts of Dhoravar village to search for a cow that had gone missing a few days earlier in the hilly area. There, a group of men from the village allegedly confronted them, accusing them of entering the village boundary and misbehaving with women. The argument soon escalated into a physical assault.The victims were allegedly tied to a neem tree with ropes, after which Noor Mohammad used a blade to shave off half of their hair and moustaches, injuring their scalps in the process. The complaint further states that Hanif and Rafiq stripped the victims, applied chili powder to their private parts, and recorded the act on a mobile phone.The video of the assault, showing the victims tied to the tree, was later circulated on WhatsApp groups, leading to their public humiliation. Police said around 10–15 people were involved in the attack, and an investigation was underway to identify all the accused.