The Adivasi man who was the victim in the Sidhi urination incident has urged the Madhya Pradesh government to release the accused man, saying he has now realised his mistake, PTI reported.
“My demand to the government is that a mistake has been committed [by the accused]…. Now, Pravesh Shukla should be released,” the man, Dashmat Rawat, told reporters. “Whatever has happened in the past, he has realised his mistake.”
Rawat added that he had nothing more to ask from the government, apart from the construction of a road in his village.
The police had on Tuesday filed a case against the accused person Pravesh Shukla under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 294 (obscene act) and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code. The National Security Act, which allows for detention for up to a year without trial, was also invoked against him.
Shukla was arrested later that night. The police action against him took place after a video purportedly showing him urinating on Rawat was widely shared on social media.
While the Congress has alleged that Shukla was associated with Sidhi MLA Kedarnath Shukla, the legislator has denied the claim.
On July 5, the Sidhi administration demolished a part of Shukla’s home, claiming that it had been constructed illegally.
While there is no legal provision to destroy the property of anyone accused of an offence, Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state governments have been increasingly resorting to demolishing properties of accused persons.
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