MP: Video of cop thrashing woman goes viral; DSP orders probe

A lower-rung police officer allegedly dragged and thrashed a 45-year-old woman for 'opposing' a road construction work in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district. After a video of the incident went viral on social media, the district superintendent of police has ordered a probe into the incident allegedly involving a woman sub-inspector (SI) of police.

"I have asked Tendukheda area Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Ashok Chaurasia to inquire into the incident. Action would be taken accordingly as per a probe report," said district SP Vivek Kumar Singh. The clip of the incident, which occurred Tuesday evening, purportedly shows the SI, Savita Rajak, dragging and beating Genda Bai Lodhi (45). According to sources in the police department, Adkheda village Panchayat secretary had called up police for help after Lodhi and her son blocked a road construction work claiming that it was coming in the way of the approach road to their house.

Rajak and other police personnel rushed to the spot, around 22 km from here, and tried to remove the road blockade. According to eye-witnesses, the SI pulled Lodhi by her hair and thrashed her. When the woman's son Gollu tried to rescue her, police allegedly beat him up too. When contacted, the sub-inspector said when she asked Lodhi against blocking the road construction work, the latter hurled stones at her. "Had I not protected myself, I would have sustained grievous injuries," the SI claimed.