Indigenous peasants in southern Mexico, unhappy with not receiving aid, tied the mayor of their commune in the back of a vehicle and dragged him through the streets of the city, said Wednesday authorities.
The story unfolded on Tuesday when some 30 Tojolabal natives armed with sticks burst into the offices of the mayor of Las Margaritas, Chiapas.
Witnesses told investigators that the men grabbed the lawyer, Jorge Luis Escandon, dragged him outside and tied him to a pickup truck.
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They dragged him for several tens of meters in the streets of the city, before the police and officials intervened to release him. The mayor was not injured.
State prosecutor Jorge Luis Llaven said the attackers were demanding more public subsidies, including cash payments, for their community.
The left-wing government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has implemented a social assistance policy that includes cash payments to stop corruption by removing bureaucratic middlemen.
Eleven people were arrested and state police were sent to Las Margaritas to restore order.
This is not the first time peasants in this community have been protesting violently. Four months ago, they vandalized the premises of the town hall, asking the mayor to keep his campaign promises.