Kolkata, Jan 28 (IANS): A 45-year-old man was arrested by the police on Friday for allegedly beating four children inhumanly at Garbeta in West Midnapore district of West Bengal.

The four children aged between 8 and 10 have been admitted to the hospital for treatment.

According to the police, Rabiyal Khan, a local businessman, tied the children's legs and kicked and beat them with a thick bamboo stick. The children were forced to lie down on an open field. Khan later told the police that the children had stolen parts from his tractor.

A video of the incident has gone viral which shows the man beating the four children with a bamboo stick. The wailing of the children could be heard in the video, but the man kept on beating them mercilessly. The video even shows that he pushed everyone away who came to stop him.

"When we reached the spot, we found that all the children were bleeding but he (Khan) continued to assault them. We requested him to stop but he didn't bother to listen. We felt that if he continued in this way, our children would die. So we rushed to the police station and lodged a complaint. We are thankful that the police came to our rescue immediately and arrested Khan. The children were immediately taken to the hospital," Sukur Ali, the father of one of the victims, said.

"We have arrested the man while the children have been taken to the primary health centre. The doctor informed us that they are fine and might be released on Saturday or the day after. The man will be produced before the court on Saturday," said an investigating officer.