Tribal man beaten with hockey stick, 2 held after clip surfaces

Nearly six weeks after a man was allegedly assaulted in Singrauli, police swung into action following a viral video of the incident, arresting two accused — Makardhwaj Singh and Pradeep Kumar Patel — and launching a hunt for another, Vineet Pandey.

The video, which surfaced on social media on May 1, showed a man being beaten by a group in Nawanagar area. Police traced the victim, a 40-year-old resident of Ghoroulikala, who said the incident occurred on March 20 when he went near the Nigahi project railway track with his wife to collect firewood.

He alleged that the accused, suspecting him of theft, assaulted him with a hockey stick and hurled caste-based abuses.
Based on his complaint, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST Act.

During the probe, Makardhwaj Singh and Pradeep Kumar Patel, both linked to a private security setup, were arrested. Investigators also seized a hockey stick allegedly used in the assault and a firearm seen in the viral clip.

The accused were produced before a court and sent to judicial custody, while efforts are on to trace Vineet Pandey, who was also seen in the video allegedly instigating the attack. Officials said the action gathered pace after the video gained traction online, bringing the incident under scrutiny.