Woman IPS officer to probe Maha assault

Home minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday announced a probe by a senior woman IPS officer into the abduction, stripping and thrashing of a couple by a group of eight

Home minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday announced a probe by a senior woman IPS officer into the abduction, stripping and thrashing of a couple by a group of eight in Ahmednagar district in western Maharashtra. The video of the alleged incident recently went viral on social media.

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According to police, on February 24, a person sitting next to the couple in an autorickshaw sedated them. The couple was taken to a room where they were stripped, thrashed and beaten with belts and petrol was poured on them, said police. They were asked to withdraw a rape complaint lodged by the woman in 2016 against some of them, said police officials. “The accused are their relatives, including the woman’s father, brother, cousin, brother-in-law and two people who posed as policemen. The government will find the truth. We have decided to appoint a senior woman IPS officer to investigate the case in one month,” Deshmukh said.

After a video of the incident went viral, the police registered a case of attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Information Technology Act.

Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis raised the issue in the legislative Assembly.

Speaker Nana Patole allowed him to speak. “What is going on in the state? It seems policemen were also involved in the case. They should be expelled from the force. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray should inform the House about the incident,” Fadnavis demanded.