Five booked for assaulting, half-tonsuring man on suspicion of cow theft
The accused also cut half his moustache, smeared mud on his face and paraded him to the outpost, police said.
BHOPAL/SAGAR: Five people have been booked for assaulting a man, half-tonsuring him and cutting half his moustache on the suspicion of running a racket of cow theft in Damoh drict, police said. An inquiry was also ordered Damoh superintendent of police DR Tenivar. The accused have been identified as Udal Rajput, Akash Rajput, Papali Rajput, Rajesh Rajput and Makhan Sen– all residents of Marutaal village of the drict. “On Thursday, a villager Udal Singh handed over a man Sitaram Rajput to police saying that he used to steal cows in the village. Sitaram informed police that five villagers beat him up brutally and forced him to confess to the crime. They half-tonsured him and also cut half of his moustache. They also smeared mud on his face and paraded to the outpost,” the investigating officer and outpost in-charge, RB Pandey said. “Police regered the case against five people under section 294 (using obscene languages), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, otherwise than on grave provocation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). All the accused are absconding and the police are trying to nab them, said Pandey. In a statement regered before the police, one of the accused Udal Singh said, “Sitaram is supplying cows outside the village staling it. When we caught him, he confessed to the crime.” However, Sitaram said he confessed to the crime due to fear of more brutality.