BHOPAL/CHENNAI: In yet another case of shocking caste violence, a caste Hindu- Pravesh Shukla, who is said to be associated with the ruling BJP party, urinated over a tribal man in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district. The horrendous crime came to the fore after the video of the said incident surfaced on social media.
With the outrageous incident sparking political controversy in the assembly poll-bound state, a case was lodged in Sidhi district against the accused u/s 294 and 504 IPC as well as under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on Tuesday. The National Security Act (NSA) is being invoked against the accused man following directions by the state’s chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
In the video, a labourer who is said to be from a tribal community is seen sitting on the roadside, when Pravesh Shukla, a BJP- supporter/ worker was smoking and urinating on the man's face.
Meanwhile, News Laundry reported ('BJP MLA's aide' urinates on tribal worker, victim 'pressured' to blame person who shared video) that the victim has filed an affidavit denying the incident ever took place. According to the report, the victim has also said that any police action, against the person who shared the "fake" video on social media, will be valid.
The report also added that the villager who first shared the video on social media has claimed that he is now receiving threats.
In defence of the accused, Pravesh Shukla's uncle has lodged a police complaint on July 1 alleging that his nephew has gone missing on June 29 and the family feared that he might take some extreme measures because of the "fake video that has been made by some others to get him implicated in a false case under the SC/ST Act.
According to DIG-Rewa Range Mithilesh Shukla, “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused Pravesh Shukla and the victim Dashmat Rawat, both hail from Kubri village under Bahri police limits. A case has been lodged under the two IPC sections as well as the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) provisions and police teams are conducting raids to nab the accused." he said.
Screenshot from the video.The outrageous incident sparked political controversy in the assembly polls-bound state, as the opposition Congress attacked the ruling BJP in the matter.
“The cruelty which happened with the tribal man can have no place in civilized society. Also, the accused who is said to be associated with the ruling BJP, is even more shocking. MP is already number one in the country when it comes to crime against the tribals. This latest incident has shamed the entire state. I demand from the CM strictest action against the accused and an end to crime against tribals in the state,” state Congress chief and former CM Kamal Nath tweeted.
प्रदेश के सीधी जिले से एक आदिवासी युवक के ऊपर पेशाब करने की क्रूरता का वीडियो सामने आया है। आदिवासी समाज के युवक के साथ ऐसी जघन्य और गिरी हुई हरकत का सभ्य समाज में कोई स्थान नहीं है। आरोप है कि पेशाब करने वाला व्यक्ति भारतीय जनता पार्टी से जुड़ा हुआ बताया जा रहा है। मध्य प्रदेश…
— Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) July 4, 2023(With inputs from online desk)
