Bhubaneswar: Suspecting a man of having sexually assaulted a destitute elderly woman living on a footpath in Puri district, an angry mob allegedly beat him up, stripped him naked and paraded him on the road late on Saturday.Videos of the incident went viral on social media, drawing widespread condemnation over the mob action. Police on Sunday detained two men for questioning and said a preliminary inquiry found no evidence that the woman was sexually abused.The injured man, whose identity is yet to be established, is undergoing treatment and his condition is said to be stable, police sources said.“Our inquiry so far indicates that the woman was not sexually abused. Two men, who were involved in the (man’s) assault, are being questioned,” a senior police officer said.According to police sources, the man, believed to be in his 30s, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol and was reportedly seen arguing with the elderly woman. When locals questioned him, he reportedly asked them to leave, triggering a confrontation that soon escalated into mob violence.“On receiving information, Chandanpur police immediately rushed to the spot, rescued the victim and shifted him to hospital,” the officer added.The incident comes amid growing concern over a series of mob violence cases in Odisha. On May 7, a railway constable was allegedly beaten to death by a mob in Bhubaneswar following allegations of sexual assault made by a woman. In another incident on June 16, a group of men attacked two NGO workers, including a woman, in Rayagada district, suspecting them to be kidnappers, and allegedly stripped the woman.
