The Madhya Pradesh police, on Wednesday, July 5, arrested a man accused of urinating on a tribal youth in the Sidhi district. While the exact date of the incident is unknown, a video of the man urinating on the youth was shared widely on social media following which the man, identified as Pravesh Shukla, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday. An investigation into the incident is underway.
The Congress alleged that Pravesh is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary and that he was a close associate of Kedarnath Shukla, the BJP MLA from Sidhi. The Indian Express reported that the MLA’s spokesperson denied knowing Pravesh Shukla, adding that the accused is not associated with the BJP. While addressing the media, Kedarnath Shukla was asked about a picture of him and the accused together and the MLA clarified that he takes pictures with several people when he visits his constituencies and public events and that it is not possible to know everyone.
However, Pravesh’s father reportedly said that his son is the representative of MLA Kedarnath Shukla. India Today reported that his father Ramnath Shukla alleged that his son is being “targeted by the Opposition” because he is the representative of a BJP MLA. He further added that there must be a thorough investigation into the case and that justice must be served.
According to The Hindu, Congress leaders also had shared pictures of Pravesh with BJP leaders, but the BJP has distanced itself from him.
The BJP’s Madhya Pradesh media-in-charge tweeted that Pravesh Shukla had nothing to do with the BJP. “The person named Pravesh Shukla has nothing to do with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Bharatiya Janata Party will always oppose every heinous act that will be done against the tribal society. BJP MP demands strictest action against this person,” he wrote.
प्रवेश शुक्ला नाम के व्यक्ति का भारतीय जनता पार्टी से कोई संबंध नहीं है।
— Ashish Agarwal आशीष अग्रवाल (@Ashish_HG) July 4, 2023
हर कुत्सित कृत्य जो आदिवासी समाज के विरोध में किया जाएगा, भारतीय जनता पार्टी उसका सदैव विरोध करेगी।
भाजपा मप्र इस व्यक्ति के ऊपर कड़ी से कड़ी कार्रवाई की मांग करती है।
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan condemned the event and said that the accused must be detained under the National Security Act (NSA). Taking to Twitter, the Chief Minister said, “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.”
मेरे संज्ञान में सीधी जिले का एक वायरल वीडियो आया है...
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) July 4, 2023
मैंने प्रशासन को निर्देश दिए हैं कि अपराधी को गिरफ्तार कर कड़ी से कड़ी कार्रवाई कर एनएसए भी लगाया जाए।
Pravesh Shukla has been booked under the NSA and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Additionally, he was also charged with Sections 294 (obscene acts) and 504 (intentional intent to breach peace) of the Indian Penal Code.