On Saturday 25-year-old Sumit Kachhi Patel was strung up against a train window and beaten by three youth for drinking water from their bottle without their permission. The video of the beating was widely shared on social media.

TV9 Gujarati spoke to Patel (video above), who says, “I asked them for water but they refused. They left me hanging like that for about four hours. Policemen in Itarsi saved me.”

On further probing he adds, “I asked them for water, they didn’t give, so I had it anyway, end of story.” Then he adds that they pulled the chain and strung him up, after which all five men beat him with belts and lathis. However, most reports mention three assailants, against whom an FIR has been filed.

One Assistant Sub-Inspector of police (ASI) of the Government Railway Police, and one ASI and one constable of the Railway Protection Force have now been suspended over this incident, ANI reported.