A video of a woman being beaten publicly by a group of men in the tribal-dominated Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh has surfaced on social media, following which the police have arrested one of the accused, an official said on Saturday.
The Opposition Congress targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Madhya Pradesh, saying the incident raises serious questions over the safety of women in the state.
The viral video shows a group of four men holding a saree-clad woman as one man is seen hitting her with a wooden stick. A group of onlookers is also seen in the video.
Police sources said the incident occurred on June 20 after the woman allegedly fled from home with a man.
Taking cognisance of the video, the police swung into action and found that the incident occurred in an area under the Tanda police station limits in the district, Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar Singh said.
After identifying the accused, police registered a case based on a complaint lodged by the woman, Singh said, adding that the main accused, identified as Noor Singh Bhuria, who beat the woman, has been arrested.
The police teams have been constituted for the search and arrest of other accused, he said, adding that further investigation was underway.
State Congress chief Jitu Patwari said in a post on X on Saturday morning, "This incident in Dhar district has once again raised serious questions on the safety of women under the BJP government. Madhya Pradesh ranks first in atrocities against women." Tagging Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, he asked, "Can these sisters from Dhar expect from your government that this incident will be investigated impartially and promptly and they will get justice on priority?" Why are women subjected to harassment the most in Madhya Pradesh, Patwari sought to know.
"Why is your government repeatedly failing to stop crimes against women?" he asked.
Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur represents the Dhar (ST) Lok Sabha seat.
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