Indore, July 7 :    Indore, July 7:  Sita chose to pass through fire on the banks of the Sarayu to prove her purity to husband Ram. She emerged unscathed, but he wasn't happy. Sita was banished to the forests. That was in the Ramayana. On Friday, 20-year-old Sangeeta Sauda went through another agnipariksha at a park in the heart of Indore as hundreds watched, and 'passed' un-scalded. She paraded in front of the gathering for 15 minutes clutching a red-hot iron rod and was proclaimed 'pure' by community leaders as her palms were unharmed. But the 21st-century Sita, too, could not win her husband's trust. He has refused to take her back. Sangeeta's fault? She had gone on a pilgrimage without informing her husband. The daughter of a grocer here, Sangeeta married Rajesh, a video photographer in Ujjain, three months ago. In the last week of May, she went to Mumbai to attend a wedding. From there, she took off on May 28 with friend Sarita for a trip to Vaishnodevi, and returned to her in-laws on June 11. Not convinced with her version of events, the in-laws turned her out. Sangeeta's journey ended at her parents' home here, but her fiery ordeal had just begun. Sangeeta, who claims to have cleared Class VIII, does not think so. 'It was my fault. I had not taken my husband's permission to go to Vaishnodevi. I was away from home for more than a fortnight. My husband has a right to suspect me. I had to prove my fidelity so that no one can raise a finger at me. Had I not taken the test, people would have called me names,' she justified. Sangeeta's trial by fire was the latest chapter in the subcontinent's unending tale of brutalisation of women, brought to sharp focus by the gangrape of a girl in neighbouring Pakistan. On another fateful Friday last month, she was violated in the presence of hundreds on the panchayat's order as penalty for her brother's alleged love affair with a girl from a higher social perch. Public outcry forced Pakistan to launch a crackdown after several days. In India, the administration woke up to the horror more than 30 hours after the incident. Five persons were arrested, including Sangeeta's husband Rajesh Sauda, mother-in-law Champabai and father-in-law Radhakishan, and cases lodged against 11 persons, including a few heads of her Khanjar community. The elders of the tribe decided Sangeeta was at fault when her parents approached them in a desperate bid to save her marriage. The community chiefs got in touch with the heads of the Khanjars in other parts of the state - Bhopal, Khandwa, Sehore, Ujjain - and even Mumbai. They ruled that Sangeeta had to go through the 'khante se imaan' test, a modified version of an agnipariksha. The date was fixed for July 5. On Friday, more than 300 tribesmen from across the state collected at the Vaid Khayaliram ka Bagicha in the heart of the city. Sangeeta was bathed and turmeric paste was applied on her as priests chanted mantras. She then emerged wearing a white sari for the ultimate test to prove her fidelity. The only protection her palms had was a thin layer of turmeric paste under a sheath of peepul leaves as an elder carried a glowing iron rod with a pair of tongs and placed it on Sangeeta's hands. She walked from man to man under their scornful gaze to prove that she hadn't cheated. Fifteen minutes later, when the elders were satisfied, she dropped the rod. Once the peepul leaves were removed, her palms showed no signs of burns. The community celebrated Sangeeta's suffering with a night-long feast: a new-age Sita was born. But her trauma continued as Rajesh refused to take her back. Police had arrested the people from Indore and Ujjain after questioning her. Following the arrests, about 400 Khanjars gheraoed the police station and threatened the force with dire consequences if the administration tried to intervene in the community's internal matters. Even Sangeeta is peeved with the arrests. Police action and government intervention were 'spoiling the chances of saving her marriage'. 'Why are the police doing this? Why arrest my husband and in-laws? This way my marriage will break. They will never accept me,' she cried. The protests were continuing till this morning. The community members said they would court arrest if those detained were not released. Amar Singh Mallaiya, a Khanjar elder in Indore, said: 'If the government can allow Muslims to walk on red-hot charcoal during Muharram, what's wrong with a Khanjar tribal woman proving her fidelity by holding a red-hot iron rod?' The state women's commission chairperson, Savita Inamdar, has sought an explanation from the police superintendent.