Five held for assaulting couple in Maharashtra's Jalna

Four men were arrested and a minor was detained on Friday after a video showing a young couple being thrashed brutally in Maharashtra's Jalna district went viral, causing outrage across the state.

While the police said the motive behind the assault was yet to be ascertained, the conversation in the video suggested that the assailants, who also molested the girl, were playing moral police.

The incident took place at Gondegaon village on Thursday when the girl and her male companion were sitting in a secluded spot.

"We have registered a case under IPC sections 354 (molestation), 324 (assault), 506 (criminal intimidation) and other relevant offences," said an official of Jalna taluka police station.

All the assailants including main accused Atish Khandare were nabbed, he said, adding that one of them is minor and he would be produced before a Juvenile Justice Board.

While four of the accused assaulted the couple, the fifth one shot a video.

After the video went viral on Friday, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh ordered probe.

Minister of State for Home Shambhuraj Desai said that there would be a probe to find out if there was a delay by the police in taking action.

"An inquiry will be conducted to check the role of police to know if there was a delay on their part in taking action," he said.

Seeking action against the assailants, NCP MP Supriya Sule also urged people not to circulate the video.

"When you forward the (video) clip, you are not condemning the act, but indirectly supporting it. The girl's privacy is her right, which has to be respected considering her as our sister," Sule said.

"Nobody has the right to do moral policing," Sule added.