A woman who was a rag picker was reportedly raped by a man in the Agar Naka area of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, after he coerced her into drinking alcohol, according to police.
Following the woman’s complaint about the assault on Wednesday, the alleged perpetrator was arrested, The Hindu reported. A video showing the assault, filmed on a footpath, sparked a political clash between the Congress party and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the opposition criticizing the state government’s handling of law and order. This incident occurred in the constituency of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, as noted in a report by The Indian Express.
The man who filmed and disseminated the video of the rape has also been arrested, according to Independent. The police said the assault happened at a busy intersection and that several bystanders filmed the incident without intervening. City Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Mishra stated that the woman reported the crime to the police around 3:30 pm, prompting immediate action, including the arrest of the accused, Lokesh, who confessed to the crime.
The woman was examined medically, and Lokesh was subsequently taken into judicial custody. The recorded video of the incident has been submitted as evidence. The accused allegedly promised to marry the woman, made her drink liquor, and then assaulted her.
Police have identified Mohammad Salim, an auto rickshaw driver, as the person who filmed the assault. He is currently being questioned, and his phone has been confiscated with the video recovered.
Congress State President Jitu Patwari criticized the BJP for focusing on protests elsewhere while ignoring the severe issues of sexual violence in Madhya Pradesh. He pointed out that the incident occurred in the Chief Minister’s constituency and questioned the silence of local and national leaders.
In response, BJP State President VD Sharma accused Congress of politicizing the incident and defended the government’s record, emphasizing that the BJP administration is committed to taking strict action against perpetrators of such crimes.
