In a shocking incident, four people allegedly tied a woman to a tree and assaulted her after accusing her of stealing fish in Karnataka's Udupi, police said on Wednesday, PTI reported.
The accused were identified as Lakshmi, Shilpa, Sundar and Chandra.
According to the police, the incident occurred on March 18 at Malpe Port in Udupi. The victim, a resident of Vijayanagara district, was accused by locals of stealing fish.
A video of the same incident has gone viral on social media. In the purported video, the victim was seen tied to a tree and being slapped by a person while the crowd stands by. The police said that despite the public humiliation, no one intervened to stop it.
Condemning the incident, Udupi Deputy Commissioner Vidya Kumari K said an FIR has been registered.
"Whether or not the woman committed any wrongdoing is under investigation, but assaulting someone publicly is inhuman. It is even more disturbing that bystanders laughed and failed to intervene," she said, PTI reported.
What Karnataka CM said?
Condemning the incident, CM Siddaramaiah said in a post on X, "In Malpe, Udupi district, I was shocked to see a video of a woman being tied to a tree and hanged inhumanly on charges of stealing fish. Whatever the reason, tying a woman's hands and feet and assaulting her in this way is not only inhumane but also a serious crime."
He added, "Such barbaric behavior is not befitting a civilized country like Karnataka. We have the police department and legal system to take action against those involved in theft, cheating and fraud. When a complaint is filed, the police investigate and are competent to punish under the law, the government will not tolerate the public taking the law into their own hands.""
"I have instructed the police to conduct a proper investigation into this incident and take necessary action", he added.
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