Betul (Madhya Pradesh): A tribal youth was made a scapegoat in the fight between his employer and a Bajrang Dal activist in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district. The victim, while returning home at night, was allegedly abducted by some Bajrang Dal activists, beaten, and forced to sit like a rooster.
The accused also made a video of the entire incident, which came to light on Saturday.
Police have registered a case against four accused in the matter under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and several other sections of the IPC. The opposition Congress party has also started attacking the Mohan Yadav government over the incident.
The incident happened on Saturday night, but the victim, Raj Uikey, did not report it. The victim is a student and works as a DJ on a part-time basis.
The owner of the DJ is Gullu Chitrahar and he had a dispute with a young man named Chanchal Singh Rajput, Narmadapuram division co-convenor of Bajrang Dal. Earlier there had been an incident of fighting between the two as well, however, Raj had no role in the dispute.
Accused on the run
The victim said that he was returning home after playing DJ at night when Chanchal Singh and his associates stopped him. They took him to an isolated place where they thrashed him brutally.
Giving information in the matter, Betul SP Siddharth Chaudhary said that information was received about a video going viral on Saturday night. “When we inquired, we found out that a tribal youth had been assaulted. We searched for him. A case has been registered in this matter. One accused has been named while three others have also been booked.” The accused are still on the run.
Jitu Patwari demands action
The video of the case has been shared by State Congress President Jitu Patwari on social media. He wrote that on one hand PM Narendra Modi gave a speech, in which lies were being told about the upliftment of tribals, on the other hand Bajrang Dal supporters were torturing tribal brothers in Betul. “CM Sahib, Prime Minister is gone, but you see with your own eyes the truth of BJP's tribal respect. Don't commit so much oppression that you lose faith in justice. Get immediate investigation done, take action,” he wrote. PM Modi took part in a tribal rally on Sunday.
Kamal Nath attacks government
Former CM Kamal Nath has also targeted the government. He wrote that the accused is said to be of the ideology of the ruling party. “Madhya Pradesh is already number one in the country in tribal atrocities. Such incidents show that the mentality of the BJP government is anti-tribal. I demand from the Chief Minister that strict action should be taken immediately,” he added.
