Madhya Pradesh urination case: Authorities bulldoze BJP MLA aide's house
The district administration of Sidhi bulldozed the house of the man who urinated on a tribal laborer in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. The action came after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the accused, Pravesh Shukla, wouldn't be spared and would be punished to serve as an example. Initially, the administration reportedly demolished only one side of the house but later razed the rest.
Why does this story matter?
The incident reportedly took place a week ago. However, the video only recently went viral, prompting citizens to call for action and the police to investigate. In an attempt to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the opposition alleged that Shukla is the representative of BJP MLA Kedarnath Shukla and shared a photo of them together.
Think 10 times before committing crime: CM
In a tweet, the CM's office confirmed that Shukla's house has been razed. "Bulldozers have...started, and if needed, Mama ji will bury the criminals even under 10 feet of ground...People with wrong intentions think 10 times before committing crime in Madhya Pradesh," it said. Earlier, commenting on the accused's alleged association with the BJP, Chouhan said that criminals don't have caste, religion, or party.
Accused's mother, other family members begged not to destroy house
NSA slapped against accused
Shukla was arrested on Tuesday night and charged under Sections 294 (obscene acts) and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Chouhan had also said that the National Security Act (NSA) would be invoked against Shukla. He is currently being interrogated by the police.
Targeted because of association with BJP: Father of accused
Meanwhile, the BJP categorically denied any association with the accused. MLA Shukla also denied that the accused was his representative but acknowledged that he knew Shukla. However, the accused's father, Ramakant Shukla, asserted that his son was MLA Shukla's representative, which is why the opposition was targeting him. "I hope the case is investigated thoroughly and justice is served," he said.
BJP, Congress engage in war of words
The president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress's tribal wing, Ramu Tekam, said, "There is no humanity left...Shivraj Singh talks about being the protector of tribals. Today his party's real face has been exposed." Separately, BJP spokesperson Narendra Saluja denied the accused's links to the party, saying the Congress had no issues left to raise, so it's trying to score political points over the incident.
