Bhopal, July 15: Three tribals in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur were stripped naked and brutally thrashed on accusation of stealing nearly 120 litres of diesel. The video of the assault went viral on social media which compelled the police to take suo moto action.

The incident was reported under the jurisdiction of Sanjeevani Nagar police station. The victims, identified as Suresh Thakur (46), Ashish Gond (24) and Golu Thakur (23), were employed by transporter Guddu Sharma.

On July 11, Sharma, along with his accomplice Shera, apprehended the trio near Andhmook bypass road and accused them of stealing diesel. The victims were lined up against a shuttered shop along the road and beaten up with baseball bat.

In the footage, Sharma could be seen hitting the bat mercilessly on the hips of the victims. When one of them attempted to shield his hip with the hand, Sharma warned him saying he would breaking his hand into two halves.

It is not clear who shot the footage but it appears to have been captured by an accomplice of Sharma as the video recorder was also heard hurling abuses at the victims.

Sanjeevani Nagar police station in-charge Bhuvneshwari Chauhan said a case has been registered against the accused under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, along with other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The victims, Chauhan claimed, earlier refrained from registering the complaint fearing backlash. However, they were convinced by the police officials to file an FIR and get justice. Their safety has been assured, Chauhan told reporters.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 15, 2018 04:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).