A man and his wife have been arrested in Palsavade village of Maharashtra's Satara for allegedly thrashing a pregnant forest ranger over a forest labourer transfer dispute.
The man, an ex-village headman, is a member of the local forest committee.
The victim Sindhu Sanap, a forest guard in Khadgaon forest, alleged that since she joined duty, the accused would threaten her and demand money, but she would refuse.
"While returning from work yesterday (January 19), they assaulted me, beat my husband with slippers," she added.
Sanap is three months pregnant.
Following a complaint lodged in the Satara Taluka Police Station against the accused, identified as village headman Ramchandra Jankar and his wife Pratibha Jankar, the two were arrested by the police.
A case has been registered under sections 352, 353, 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the accused. Further investigation is underway.
Maharashtra State Women Commission has also taken cognizance of the incident and has taken a detailed report from Satara Superintendent of Police (SP), further instructing him for strict action against the accused.
Satara SP Ajay Kumar Bansal said, "We are checking if any harm was caused to the foetus. If it is found to be the case, a relevant section will be added. Prima facie no damage found."
Meanwhile, condemning the incident, Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray tweeted, "the accused has been arrested this morning and will face the law at its strictest. Such acts will not be tolerated."
( With inputs from ANI )
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