The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday took suo motu cognisance of an incident of assault on a woman in Andhra Pradesh, saying it was "perturbed and shocked by the incident".
After public uproar, the Andhra Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested a government official, since suspended from service, on charges of brutally assaulting a woman colleague in office after she advised him to wear a face mask.
"The Commission is perturbed and shocked by the incident of atrocity committed against a woman employee by a person who is holding a responsible position at a time when the Government of India is also emphasising on the need for inclusion at the highest level," NCW said in a statement.
The Commission wrote a letter to Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang after it came across the CCTV footage where it was seen that the woman was mercilessly beaten by a Deputy Manager of the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department.
The incident occurred in the tourism department's office in Nellore on June 27 but came to light on Tuesday after the shocking visuals recorded on CCTV camera went viral on social media.
The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has suspended the official, CA Bhaskar, who assaulted the woman.
The videos showed Bhaskar brutally thrashing the woman with a wooden stick.
Warning: Disturbing visuals
Nellore Police said that the official was booked on the same day under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 355 (Assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person) and 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
"The accused has been arrested and sent to judicial remand. The Nellore district police are extremely sensitive to any violation or crime against women. Women's safety is our top priority," Nellore Police tweeted.
Meanwhile, the NCW told the DGP, "Considering the gravity of the matter, I request you to send a detailed action taken report to the Commission at an early date which will be appreciated."
With PTI and IANS inputs