Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said a senior state IPS officer has been relieved of duties, after a video showing him assaulting his wife went viral on social media.
In the video, the officer, Purushottam Sharma is seen thrashing his wife, while the latter is seen resisting the assault. “The officer has been relieved of his duties. Action will be taken against anyone who holds a responsible position, but indulges in illegal activities and taking law into his hands,” the chief minister said.
Sharma, who is posted in Bhopal, has described the dispute with his wife as a family feud. The five minutes video shows the senior police officer fighting with his wife, shouting at and thrashing her for almost a minute. The video was shot on Sunday at 2.44 p.m. and the clip runs till 2.49 p.m.
Several of their staff can be seen attempting to intervene as does a pet Golden Retriever. Sharma is seen dragging his wife along the ground and then raining blows on her.
The reason for the discord as can be understood from the video appears to be one of extramarital affair by the police officer. It seemed to have been a long-running dispute between the husband and wife.
The video was shot from a gallery position, in all probability a floor above.
However, Sharma has issued a clarification after the alleged video went viral and described it as a family dispute, saying, “I have not committed any crime. This is a family matter between me and my wife. If she is angry with me then why does she stay with me. Why use my money? Why travel abroad with my money? This is my family matter, I will solve it myself, I am in constant touch with my wife and trying my best to resolve this matter.”