Jagdish, 30, was rushed to Bhopal where his condition was reported to be stable on Sunday, a day after the alleged incident took place.

DIG K K Lohani said Jagdish had suffered serious injuries, but denied the reports that his limbs had been chopped off.

Jagdish had complained against Arjun Thakur, Shiva Gurjar and Madan in Malawar Police Station nearly a fortnight ago. Lohani said the three had been called to the police station for questioning and so, they harboured a grudge against Jagdish. He said that all three would soon be arrested.

Armed with axes and other sharp weapons, the three men allegedly assaulted Jagdish when he was on his way home on a two-wheeler around 9 am on Saturday. PSI Narmada Prasad Dayma of the SC/ST Police Station said the assault took place while villagers watched, but no one is ready to come forward to record a statement. Dayma said the attackers were angry because a lower caste youth had dared to drag them to the police station. He said the three men were not well-off had fled from their homes.