Tribal Man In MP's Betul Stripped, Hung From Ceiling & Beaten Brutally

The victim said the men accused him of being involved in cow smuggling and beat him up with sticks and belts.

The victim addressed the media after the video of his assault went viral.

(Special Arrangement/ The Quint)

A tribal man in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district was stripped, hung from a ceiling, and beaten with belts and sticks. After a video of the assault went viral on Tuesday, 13 February, the man approached the local police station, following which two men were arrested.

The Madhya Pradesh police has said that the incident took place back in November, prior to the state elections. The victim, who runs a food stall, said that he couldn’t file a complaint back then because he got scared. “Now I saw the video going viral and felt it’s important to come forward and file a complaint,” he told the media.

“There are some people involved in cow smuggling nearby. The gang of men who beat me seemed to think that I take money from those cow smugglers and am involved in the whole set-up, so they subjected me to all that beating. I don’t know why they thought I am involved in this.”

Victim to The Quint

He also said that he was taken around in Betul by a man he had recently befriended, who eventually took him to the house of the people who beat him up. “The friend told me that we should go roam around in Betul. So, I agreed. After that he took me to those men... they stripped me, hung me upside down, and beat me up with belts and sticks,” he further said.

The police has said they have identified two accused and registered an FIR against them. They are yet to be arrested. “After the video went viral, we searched for the victim and found him. It was his friend who took him to these men...it was some issue related to money. We have registered an FIR and named two accused. We are trying to look for them,” Betul Superintendent of Police Sidharth Choudhary said.

The two accused are Rinkesh Chouhan and a man known as Chaint.

Another Recent Tribal Atrocity in Betul

The incident comes to light just days after another video had emerged from Betul district where a tribal was assaulted and made to squat in a ‘murga’ (rooster) pose. The victim was subjected to physical violence and casteist slurs by a group led by Chanchal Rajput, an alleged member of Bajrang Dal.

Following these incidents, Jitu Patwari, the MP Congress president asked CM Mohan Yadav to resign from his post. “This one incident alone is enough for your resignation as Home Minister! The 'criminals' who are fighting to get ahead of Jungle Raj are openly flouting the law! But you are absolutely silent!”

Patwari also questioned if the BJP has some “personal enmity” with the Adivasi or tribal community.  

“The question is also why only #आदिवासी is the target? Do you have personal political enmity with the tribal community? Or has @BJP4MP taken up the contract to harass the deprived class?” he wrote on X.