Reacting to the urination case in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that the incident is an attack on tribal identity and an insult to great personalities like Tantya Mama and Birsa Munda.
Mr Nath made the remark in a video clip that was released by his office on Wednesday.
In the video, Mr Nath could be heard saying, "Today I am deeply saddened by the incidents of humiliation of tribal people of Madhya Pradesh. One gets disturbed after seeing the video of a BJP leader (Pravesh Shukla) urinating on a tribal man in Sidhi district. Has the power hit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to such an extent that they are not considering human beings as human?"
"This incident is an attack on tribal identity. This incident is an insult to great personalities like Tantya Mama and Birsa Munda. This incident is an insult to crores of tribal people of Madhya Pradesh. I warn the BJP-led Shivraj government to stop giving government protection to the atrocities on the tribal society. The Congress party is with the tribal community and will continue to provide justice to them," Mr Nath added in the video.
Meanwhile, Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Atrocities on tribal people are increasing in the BJP rule. The inhuman act of a BJP leader in Madhya Pradesh has put the entire humanity to shame. This is the disgusting face and real character of BJP's hatred towards tribal people."
Notably, a video went viral on social media on Tuesday in which the accused, identified as Pravesh Shukla, was seen urinating on the face of a tribal man. After that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had taken cognizance of the matter and ordered strict action, including imposing NSA against the accused.
Earlier, the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Sidhi, Anjulata Patle said, "We have taken the accused (Pravesh Shukla) into custody. He is under interrogation. Further legal action in the matter will be taken soon."
A case has been registered against the accused under sections 294, 504 of the Indian Penal Code and SC/ST Act.
Speaking to ANI, state home minister Narottam Mishra said, "The accused (Pravesh Shukla) was arrested last night. He is in the lock-up and strict action has been taken against him. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that NSA will be registered against him."
When asked about Congress demanding bulldozer action in the matter, Mr Mishra said, "Bulldozer does not work according to Congress, it works according to law. If there would be encroachment then it would be bulldozed."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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