MP: Man accused of urinating on tribal youth arrested; Cong demands CBI probe

Police on Wednesday arrested a man accused of urinating on a tribal youth in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district, even as the opposition Congress demanded a CBI probe into the incident and demolition of the accused’s property.

The MP Bharatiya Janata Party has constituted a four-member committee to conduct a probe into the incident, state party chief V D Sharma said.

The committee is headed by Ramlal Rautel, chairman of the Janjati Vikas Pradhikaran. Legislators Sharad Kol and Amar Singh and BJP state vice-president Kantdev Singh are members of the panel.

A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms on Tuesday, following which the police registered a case against the accused, identified as Pravesh Shukla.

Former state Congress president Kantilal Bhuria claimed the video was a few months old.

The case was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code sections 294 (obscene acts), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, an official from the MP Chief Minister’s Office said on Tuesday.

Action under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) was also initiated, he added.

The Congress had claimed the accused was linked to the BJP, but the ruling party denied the allegation.

Talking to PTI, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra termed the man’s act as “heinous, condemnable and a shame on humanity.”

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also said the act was shameful and condemnable and demanded demolition of the property of the accused. Asked about a similar demand by the Congress of “bulldozer action” against the accused, Mishra, who is also the state government’s spokesperson said, “Bulldozer action is not taken on the basis of Congress’s demand...bulldozer runs only when there is an encroachment.”

Earlier in the day, Mishra told reporters that the accused was arrested. Without taking any name, the minister said bulldozers will also run over encroachments.

The accused was arrested at around 2 am on Wednesday on the basis of leads.

He is being questioned, Additional Superintendent of Police Anjulata Patle said.