A video of a woman being beaten brutally with sticks by a group of men in the tribal-dominated Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage among people.
The opposition, Congress, hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state, saying that the incident raises serious questions over women's safety in the state.
In the video, four men can been seen holding a woman -- clad in a yellow saree -- as another man is hitting her with a wooden stick. Bystanders are also seen filming the incident.
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The Madhya Pradesh police promptly swung into action after taking note of the video and found that the incident took place in an area under the Tanda police station limits in the district said Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar Singh.
The accused has been identified and a case has been registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the woman, Singh said. The main accused -- Noor Singh Bhuria -- who was beating the woman, has also been arrested.
Police teams are hunting the other accused and further investigation is underway.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari, in a post on X, said, "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."
He asked Chief Minister Mohan Yadav as to whether "these sisters from Dhar can expect from your government that the incident will be investigated impartially and promptly and they will get justice on priority?"
Patwari asked why women are being subjected to harassment the most in Madhya Pradesh. "Why is your government repeatedly failing to stop crimes against women?" he asked.
Notably, the Dhar (ST) Lok Sabha seat is represented by Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur.
(With PTI inputs)
