A mentally unwell woman was tied with a rope, dragged to the ground, slapped and kicked in the chest and private parts by a mob of more than 40 people in Lucknow's Sugamau slum settlement over suspicions of theft and child abduction.The assault left her bleeding from the mouth as she pleaded for mercy.A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, drawing attention to the initial response of the local police.The incident took place in the Indiranagar police station area. The video shows the woman's legs tied with a rope as a crowd surrounds her.
Some men are seen dragging her to the ground and hitting her with sticks. Others slap and kick her, including on her chest and private parts.The woman is seen bleeding from her mouth and pleading for help, but no one in the crowd intervenes to stop the assault.
The initial response of the local police also came under scrutiny after the local police station Inspector Ajay Narayan Singh reportedly described the incident as a minor assault.Senior police officials took cognisance of the matter after the video gained traction on social media.Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), East, Amol Murkut said the video was around five days old.The woman, who is mentally unwell, belongs to nearby Jarhara village. Residents of the settlement allegedly suspected that she had come there to abduct a child.
Acting on the suspicion, people took the law into their own hands and assaulted her, the officer said.According to the ADCP, two accused have been taken into custody. Police are identifying the other people involved with the help of the video, and further legal action is being taken.- EndsInputs from Ankit Mishra