BAREILLY: A 16-year-old Dalit boy was allegedly kidnapped, stripped, and brutally assaulted by five men in the Cantt police station area here, police said on Friday.
Police said the assault was triggered by a minor dispute between the victim and one of the accused on Instagram a few days before the incident.
A video of the incident, which took place on the night of December 31, has surfaced on social media.
According to the complaint lodged by the victim's mother, Aarti Devi, from Valmiki Mohalla, her son was taking a walk near their home when the accused - Mukul Yadav, Subhash Yadav alias AD, Sultan, Ayush, and Basu – arrived on a motorcycle and kidnapped him.
The boy was allegedly taken to a secluded spot near a pond on Chanehta Road, where the accused threatened him with a country-made pistol and a knife, the complaint said.
"The accused stripped the minor and thrashed him mercilessly. They filmed the entire act and later circulated the video on social media," a police officer said, quoting the FIR.
The victim managed to escape from the spot and then informed his family about the incident.
Superintendent of Police (SP) City, Manush Pareek, said that based on the woman's complaint, an FIR has been registered against the five accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Preliminary investigations suggest the assault was triggered by a minor dispute between the victim and Mukul Yadav on Instagram a few days ago.
Yadav had allegedly threatened to kill the boy by January 15, the SP added.
Police sources revealed that one of the accused, Sultan, has a criminal history.
"Teams have been formed to nab the absconding accused. Strict action will be taken against those involved," SP Pareek added.