MP: Man Urinates on Tribal Labourer's Face in Viral Video; NSA Slapped Against Accused

A video of a man urinating on a tribal labourer in Sidhi district went viral on social media on Tuesday, prompting Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to take cognizance of the matter and officials to impose stringent National Security Act (NSA) against the accused.

An official from the Chief Minister’s Office said a case was registered against the accused, identified as Pravesh Shukla, at Bahari police station under Indian Penal Code sections 294 (obscene acts), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Action against the stringent NSA was also initiated, he added.

The video of the incident, widely shared on social media, shows a man in a striped shirt smoking a cigarette while urinating on the face of a tribal youth.

The local police took action based on the direct video evidence.

Shortly after the case went viral, Deputy SP Sidhi, Priya Singh said action would be taken after ascertaining the facts about the video. “It needs to be ascertained if a Dalit (man) was involved in the incident,” she said.

According to reports, the accused is believed to be associated with the BJP.

Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafeez, in a tweet, criticised the BJP-led state government and stated that the accused is a representative of BJP MLA Kedar Nath Shukla. “The BJP leader, who falsely claims to advocate for the interests of the tribals, is urinating on a poor tribal person like this. This act is highly condemnable,” he said.

He also targeted chief minister Chouhan over the state government’s “love” towards its tribal communities. “Is this your tribal love?? What to call this Jungle Raj and why the BJP leader was not arrested?” he asked.

Chief Minister Chouhan took cognizance of the video in a tweet and instructed the administration to impose NSA. “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,” he said.

Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath condemned the incident and attacked the BJP for tribal atrocities and shaming the state. “There is no place in a civilized society for such a heinous and fallen act with the youth of the tribal society. It is alleged that the person urinating is said to be associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Madhya Pradesh is already number one in tribal atrocities. This incident has put the entire Madhya Pradesh to shame,” he said, in a tweet.

He further demanded strictest punishment to be given to the accused.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Shukla, in a video statement, said the man who was seen in the viral video had “never been directly associated with him.”

State BJP media in-charge Ashish Agarwal also said the accused was not associated with the party. “The BJP will always oppose every heinous act against the tribal community. MP BJP demands the strictest action against this person,” Agarwal said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Congress’s Media and Publicity Department, Pawan Khera shared the video clip along with a picture of a banner on which the accused was described as ‘Vidhayak Pratinidhi Sidhi’. “In the 21st century, such inhuman atrocities are happening with the tribals of our country and we are dreaming of becoming Vishwaguru! What could be more embarrassing for all of us than this?” he tweeted.