Ludhiana, July 7 -- A 17-year-old Dalit teenager was paraded half-naked with his face blackened through the streets of Seeda village in Ludhiana after being accused of aiding his friend in eloping with a woman. The gruesome act, carried out by the woman's relatives, was recorded on video and widely circulated, sparking outrage in the area. According to the police, the incident took place following the love marriage of one Gurpreet Singh, a resident of the village, who eloped with a young woman on June 19. Suspecting the victim of helping the couple escape and solemnise intercaste marriage, members of the woman's family allegedly sought revenge. The victim stated that he was at a local salon on July 1 when a group of men, identified as Gurpreet alias Gopa, Simranjeet Singh alias Simma, Sandeep alias Sam, Rajveer and Ramandeep alias Kaka, stormed in, dragged him out and brutally assaulted him. They allegedly blackened his face, shaved off his beard and moustache, tore his clothes and then made him march semi-naked through the village. The victim added that when he tried to escape, the accused gave him a chase and thrashed after catching him again. The accused made him sit on the road and kept on filming the act. Eyewitnesses reported that caste-based slurs were hurled at the victim. The video, which quickly went viral, prompted immediate police action. Following the public outcry, the Meharban police registered an FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 351 (criminal Intimidation) as well as under Sections 66A and 67B of the Information and Technology Act, and provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. One of the accused has been arrested. Police say more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses. "This is not only a case of physical assault but a grave violation of human dignity," said a senior police officer. "We are treating the matter with the utmost seriousness." The victim's family has demanded justice and strict punishment for all involved. Human rights groups and civil society organisations have condemned the incident, calling for stronger safeguards against mob justice and public shaming. Inspector Paramdeep Singh, station house officer (SHO) at the Meharban police station, said Simarjeet Singh alias Simma has been arrested. A hunt is on for the arrest of the rest of the accused. The district has seen several similar incidents in the past. On January 22, a garment factory owner and his aide blackened the faces of a woman and her three minor daughters and a son and humiliated them publicly in Ekjot Nagar of Bahadurke Road by parading them in streets of the area. The accused also forced the woman and her children to hang placards around their necks, reading "I am a thief and I accept my crime". The owner suspected them of stealing material from the factory....