Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Tuesday retracted his statement where he dared Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath to name the state’s newly instituted “anti-Romeo squads” “anti-Krishna squads”. Bhushan, who leads the Swaraj Abhiyan, said his statement was not properly phrased and apologised for hurting religious sentiments, reported Hindustan Times.
“I realise that my tweet on Romeo squads and Krishna was inappropriately phrased,” Bhushan said. “I unintentionally hurt the sentiments of many people. I apologise and delete it.” During a discussion on Adityanath’s decision to form “anti-Romeo squad” to stop “eve-teasing” or sexual harassment in the state, Bhushan had said, ”Romeo loved just one lady, while Krishna was a legendary eve-teaser. Would Adityanath have the guts to call his vigilantes Anti-Krishna squads?”
Meanwhile, former Congress leader Savio Rodrigues has filed an FIR against Bhushan for his remarks under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including for promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion. “Regardless of whether the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has made a good decision on the anti-Romeo drive in the state, debates on its positives and negatives must be done within the domain of governance without dragging religion or opinion into the discussion,” Rodrigues was quoted as saying by ANI.
Bhushan’s statement attracted ire from religious conservatives, who saw it as an attack on Hinduism itself. A group of unidentified people threw ink at his house in Noida on Monday afternoon. BJP Youth Morcha members held protests outside his house on the same day. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Pal S Bagga had called for a police complaint against the former Aam Aadmi Party leader.
The “anti-Romeo squads” have been at the centre of controversy with reports about youngsters being harassed at their hands. Last month, a girl and her cousin brother were harassed by policemen when they had gone to buy medicines. The police officers were also caught on camera taking bribe from the family despite them saying that the girl and the boy were related. Three constables were suspended on Friday after a video showing anti-Romeo squad officials shaving the hair off a man’s head in Shahjahanpur went viral.
The frequent reports and criticism of the squads led Adityanath to order them not to harass consensual adults socialising in public. Uttar Pradesh police chief Javed Ahmed has also issued a letter to his force, detailing how the “anti-Romeo squads” should function. The forms of punishment not allowed include shaving hair and blackening men’s faces.
Madhya Pradesh now considering starting its own “anti-Romeo squads”.
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