3 tribal men stripped naked, beaten in MP

ACCUSED THRASHED THE THREE MEN AS THEY SUSPECTED THEM TO HAVE STOLEN 120 LITRES OF DIESEL, POLICE SAY

BHOPAL/JABALPUR : A transporter and his friend have been booked for stripping his three tribal employees naked and beating them in public for allegedly stealing 120 litres of diesel in Jabalpur, according to police.

The incident happened on July 11, but the victims did not file a police complaint because they feared for their lives, police said. It was after a video of the incident surfaced on social media on Friday that police took cognisance and started investigating.

The accused have been identified as Guddu Sharma, who runs a transport business, and his friend Sheru. They are both absconding.

The victims are all residents of Mandla district in south east Madhya Pradesh, 466 km from Bhopal. They were stripped naked, lined up against a shuttered shop along Andhmook bypass road, and beaten with a baseball bat.

Apart from IPC Sections 34 (Act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 294 (Obscene act), 323 (Voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (Criminal intimidation), the two accused have been charged under section 3 (1) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which carry a minimum punishment of 7 years.

In the video, Sharma is seen hurling abuses at the victims and hitting them, while asking how much diesel they had stolen. His accomplice Sheru, who was shooting the video, is heard saying they would have to suffer as they had committed a crime.

Several people are seen watching but nobody steps forward to help the victims.

Sanjeevani Nagar police station in-charge, Bhuvneshwari Chauhan said the victims were initially not willing to lodge the first information report (FIR) out of fear of the accused. However, they agreed when the police assured them of action and of their safety, he added.