The man died at a hospital later
A 45-year-old man, with a rope tied around his feet, died after he was dragged by a pick-up truck in Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch. A group of men, suspecting him to be a thief, had beaten him up badly.
The men had dialled the police helpline number claiming they have got a thief with them. The police, upon reaching the spot, took the severely injured man to a nearby community health centre. He was referred to Neemuch district hospital where he was declared brought dead on arrival.
A video of the tragedy, which took place on Thursday at Jetiya village, has been widely circulated on social media.
The clip shows a sandal-clad man thwacking the adivasi right on the face - with the choicest expletives thrown around like confetti even as the man pleads to let him go.
The man identified as Kanha, alias Kanhiya Bheel, was a resident of Banada village.
"Eight people have been identified in the case. Five among them have been arrested, the rest will be arrested soon. The viral video helped identify the culprits," said Sooraj Verma, Superintendent of Police, Neemuch.
The accused have been charged for murder, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and other sections of the Indian Penal Code, said the officer.