Maharashtra girl assault video goes viral

Mumbai: In an instance of moral policing, a group of villagers in Jalna brutally assaulted a boy and his female friend after finding them together and shot a video clip of the assault which has since gone viral.

The officials said that the incident took place in Gondegaon village where four persons targeted the duo, following which the state government swung into action and the police detained one of the attackers.

The police said that the incident took place Thursday and after the said clip went viral, state home minister Anil Deshmukh issued orders to the police for timely and stringent action against the culprits.

“The duo was brutally thrashed by a group, of which, one suspect has been detained. The accused is being questioned to ascertain the identity of the remaining accused, who are yet to be apprehended. There is no clarity on why the accused attacked the duo,” the police said.

The state government issued orders citing the severity of the incident. Mr. Deshmukh said, “The incident that took place in Jalna is condemnable. I have issued orders to take measures for stopping it (circulation of the video). Speedy action will be taken against the perpetrators.”

State police chief Subodh Jaiswal said that the police had been asked to look into the incident and also inquire if police action was delayed. The home minister had ordered an inquiry into the local police in the assault case and sought a report on them.

The police filed a case of assault, molestation and acts of common intention against the accused under the Indian Penal Code and further investigation was underway.