MP: Woman thrashed, forced to walk with boy on shoulders by in-laws

A tribal woman was beaten upand forced to walk for three km carrying a teenage boy on hershoulders by her estranged husband and in-laws in MadhyaPradesh's Guna district, police said on Tuesday.

Three persons have been arrested in connection withthe incident that took place at Sanai village, said Gunasuperintendent of police (SP) Rajesh Kumar Mishra.

The incident took place on February 9 and came tolight on Monday when a purported video of it went viral.

In the video, the woman, who is around 20 years old,is seen walking barefoot with the boy on her shoulders as somemen keep hitting her with sticks and even with cricket bats.

The woman, who married a man from Banskhedi villagetwo years ago, had separated from him due to some dispute andand was living with another man in Sanai, the SP said.

On February 9, when she was alone, her estrangedhusband, some members of his family and the boy arrived andand allegedly beat her up, he said.

They also forced the woman to walk for three km withthe boy on her shoulders, the SP said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the woman at Sirsipolice station, the police arrested three of the accused andsearch for an absconding person was underway, he said.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath claimed the woman waspregnant, and said what happened was against humanity.

''Shivraj-ji (chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan), isthis your good governance?'' he asked.

''A pregnant woman was forced to walk barefoot with aboy on her shoulders. A procession was taken out and she wasbeaten up mercilessly,'' the former chief minister said,demanding stern action against the culprits.

To a query, additional superintendent of police T SBaghel said according to available information, the victim wasnot pregnant.