In Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh, a disturbing video emerged on 4th July 2023, showing a man engaging in an appalling act of urinating on a poor tribal individual. The accused individual, Pravesh Shukla, is simultaneously smoking a cigarette in the video.
Initially, the media and social media users shared that Pravesh Shukla is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. Still, Gurudutt Sharan Shukla, son of Sidhi MLA Kedarnath Shukla and the MLA himself stated that this person is not associated with the BJP. The video quickly went viral on social media.
VIDEO | A video of a man peeing on a youth was shared on social media, creating widespread furore. The video is said to be from Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 4, 2023
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/Q2FdZeV2kx
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered the authorities to take stringent action against accused Pravesh Shukla in this case. Chief Minister Chouhan said that the accused will not be spared at any cost.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “The accused has tarnished humanity. He has committed a very inhuman act. An offence for which the harshest punishment is imposed. Even the harshest words fall short of it. But I have instructed that the strictest punishment should be given and the strictest action should be taken. There should be an action that becomes an example.”
#WATCH उसने मानवता को कलंकित किया है। ऐसे अपराध के लिए कठोरतम सजा, कठोरतम शब्द भी कम है। मैंने निर्देश दिए हैं कि कठोरतम सजा दी जाए कड़ी से कड़ी कार्रवाई की जाए, ऐसी कार्रवाई जो उदाहरण बने…अपराधी को कोई जाति नहीं होती, कोई धर्म नहीं होता और ना कोई पार्टी होती है अपराधी केवल… pic.twitter.com/TnBrKPaNbC
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) July 4, 2023
When asked about the purported affiliation of the accused with the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “We will not spare him at any cost. The criminal has no caste, no religion, and no party. The culprit is only a criminal, and he must face punishment.”
Shivraj Singh Chouhan also shared a tweet about the action being taken in this case. He wrote, “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।
BJP MLA Kedarnath Shukla denies any association with the accused Pravesh Shukla
On social media, the man who urinated on a tribal man sitting on the stairs was described as a close supporter of local MLA Kedarnath Shukla, but the MLA himself has denied this. The victim has been identified as Pale Kol. BJP MLA Kedarnath Shukla has clarified that Pravesh Shukla is not his aide.
Kedarnath Shukla said, “He (the culprit in the video) is neither my representative nor an associate. He is not connected to BJP in any way. I am demanding strict action against the culprit. When we visit our constituency, so many people click photos with us. But he is not attached to us in any way. He has shamed humanity and strict action should be taken against him.”
#WATCH | He (the culprit in the video) is neither my representative nor an associate. He is not connected to BJP in any way. I am demanding strict action against the culprit: Kedarnath Shukla, BJP MLA from Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh on a purported video showing a man urinating on… pic.twitter.com/vn2uO5tXqo
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 4, 2023
Congress accuses BJP of oppressing tribals
The Congress has started politics on this matter. Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath has claimed that Madhya Pradesh is number one in atrocities on tribal communities.
The BJP’s media wing has also clarified that the accused is not a party leader. Madhya Pradesh BJP media in-charge Ashish Agarwal said the man named Pravesh Shukla has no connection with the Bharatiya Janata Party. He made it clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party will always oppose any evil act against the tribal community. At the same time, he also said that the state BJP demands strict action against this person.
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।
Earlier, on 4th July 2023, the video went viral in which the accused was seen urinating on the poor victim. As the video was circulated online it drew massive outrage and criticism from the social media users.
Deputy SP Priya Singh from Sidhi stated that appropriate action will be taken once all the facts surrounding the video are confirmed. She emphasized the need to ascertain whether a person from the Dalit community was targeted in the incident.
Accused Pravesh Shukla arrested
Meanwhile, the accused was arrested late in the night. Anjulata Patle, Additional SP, Sidhi provided more information about the investigation. She said, “As the video of urinating on the victim surfaced, a case was registered in the Bahri police station. The culprit was arrested after booking the case. A team of police personnel from three police stations was formed and they collected information from the sources. The accused was arrested at around 2 o’clock in the night. He will now be investigated.”
VIDEO | "The accused (Pravesh Shukla) was arrested at around 2 am (today). He is currently being interrogated," says Anjulata Patle, Additional SP, Sidhi on the accused, who was seen urinating on a tribal youth in a video.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 5, 2023
The police have invoked the stringent NSA against the… pic.twitter.com/0QquZFEM1w
She added, “Based on the information, the police raided a few nearby villages. He was then arrested as per the information provided by various sources.”
Rewa Range DIG Mithilesh Shukla said that after taking cognizance of the viral video, the police have registered a case at Bahri police station. The accused has been booked under Sections 294 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The DIG said that the video is 6 days old.
