A video showing a man urinating on a tribal labourer triggered uproar in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district on Tuesday, with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordering his arrest under the National Security Act (NSA).
The video of the incident, widely shared on social media, showed a man, Pravesh Shukla, in a striped shirt smoking a cigarette while urinating on the face of a tribal youth. The incident took place on June 26 and came to light on Tuesday. Shukla was seen abusing a tribal man sitting in the Kubari market of Sidhi district and later urinating on him in an inebriated state.
“A viral video of Sidhi district has come to my notice. I have instructed the administration to arrest the culprit and take strict action and also impose NSA,” Chouhan tweeted.
Shukla was arrested on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. An FIR has been filed against him under Sections 294 (Obscene acts) and 504 (Intentional insult to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and under the SC/ST Act.
The incident has prompted a sharp reaction from the opposition Congress, which alleged that the culprit is an associate of a sitting BJP MLA – a charge the party denied.
The Congress has alleged the accused is an associate of Sidhi MLA Kedarnath Shukla. A photo of the two was shared by Shukla on Facebook. When contacted, the MLA’s spokesperson told The Indian Express, “This man is not a representative of the MLA. He is not even a BJP member.”
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Deputy Superintendent of Police (Sidhi) Priya Singh said, “The video has come to my notice. The local police station in-charge has been notified and investigation is underway. I am also heading to the spot to investigate the facts. I will not be able to comment on whether the accused was a representative of an MLA; the facts of the case need to be investigated first.”
Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Kamal Nath meanwhile demanded that the “accused be given the strictest punishment and the atrocities against tribals in Madhya Pradesh be brought to an end”.
“A video has surfaced showing a heinous act of urination on a tribal youth from the Sidhi district of the state. Such despicable and degrading behaviour towards a tribal youth has no place in a civilised society. It is alleged that the person involved in this act is associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Madhya Pradesh is already notorious for atrocities against tribals. This incident has brought shame to the entire state. I demand that the guilty person be given the strictest punishment and that the atrocities against tribals in Madhya Pradesh be brought to an end,” Nath’s statement read.