Dashmat Rawat, the victim of the urination incident in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district, has requested the state government to free the perpetrator Pravesh Shukla, asserting that Shukla has since realised his mistake.
“My demand to the government is that a mistake has been committed. Now Pravesh Shukla should be released. Whatever has happened in the past, he has realised his mistake,” he responded to the media when asked about the action taken on Pravesh Shukla.
“Yes, I agree. He is a Pandit of our village. We demand from the government to release him,” he answered when highlighted that he was making the demand in spite of the culprit’s degrading behaviour. He added that he had no further demands for the government, except from building a road in his hamlet.
On 5 July, police arrested the accused for peeing on Dashmat Rawat who is a tribal community member. A video of the occurrence went viral on social media on 4 July, prompting the police to file a complaint and apprehend the former. Meanwhile, the state police investigating the case mentioned that the footage was one-year-old.
In addition to being charged appropriately under the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, action has been taken against Pravesh Shukla who is presently incarcerated, under the strict National Security Act (NSA). Furthermore, a reportedly illegal component of his Sidhi residence was torn down.
The urination instance has sparked a political debate in Madhya Pradesh, where assembly elections are scheduled towards the end of the year. The Congress has claimed that Pravesh Shukla is connected to a local Bharatiya Janata Party legislator while the party has denied any ties to him.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan apologised to the victim and bathed his feet at his official residence in Bhopal. However, the opposition party dismissed the CM’s action as mere drama.
Dashmat Rawat also received financial support from the state government in the amount of Rs 5 lakh and another Rs 1.5 lakh for the construction of his home.
The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Samaj, a Brahmin organisation, challenged the demolition of a portion of the accused’s home on Friday, arguing that while his conduct was despicable, his family members could not be punished for the same. They informed that they will move the High Court against the administration’s action.