Betul (Madhya Pradesh): A man was arrested and three were booked on Wednesday after a video showing them brutally beating a tribal youth and hanging him upside down naked went viral on social media.
The video is said to be three months old; however, it went viral recently. Following which, police started the investigation and nabbed one of the accused, while searches for others are underway.
It is said that the accused men, who mainly belong to right-wing organisations, assaulted the tribal on the suspicion of cow smuggling in Betul.
According to information, the incident took place on November 15 last year. The victim, Aashish, a resident of the Baspani area, was brought to Betul city by one of the accused, who was known to him, on suspicion of cow smuggling.
Here, he was stripped naked by six people and hung upside down in a room. The accused, reportedly associated with right-wing groups, then beat up the victim with a belt, slippers, and sticks.
The victim told reporters on Tuesday that he was afraid of the culprits due to their "criminal background" and hence did not report the matter earlier.
After a video of the incident went viral on social media, the victim's family members took him to the Kotwali police station on Tuesday to file a complaint.
One arrested
An FIR was subsequently registered against three identified persons and as many others, a police official said.
Betul Superintendent of Police Siddharth Choudhary said five to six persons were involved in the incident.
One of the accused has been arrested and search is on for the others, he said.
Notably, this is the second such video of violence against tribals from Betul in just three days. Earlier, a youth was thrashed and forced to sit like a rooster by a group of people, including a Bajrang Dal activist.
