RAIPUR: A man was arrested in Jashpur district after he allegedly threw urine upon the women worshipping and performing rituals during a puja on May 30 triggering protest by right-wing Hindu outfits and the women complainants.
The women said that police were earlier resistant to lodge an FIR. However, the man was arrested following the protest.
Group of women were sitting together under a tree performing rituals of ‘vat savitri’ festival when a man came in front of them and started acting obscenely. When the women objected to it and scolded him, he returned after a few minutes with a polythene filled with urine and threw it upon the worshipping women, the women said in their complaint.
They left the place without completing the rituals and reported the matter to police. Large numbers of women gathered at the police station demanding immediate arrest of the man.
Raigarh MP Gomati Rai had joined the protests and submitted a letter to the district magistrate requesting actions to prevent such incidents of religious hate crime and harassment. As the matter escalated, the right-wing activists and members of BJYM staged a demonstration as well as took out a bike rally demanding ‘bandh’ on Wednesday.
Police force had to be deployed at the spot to prevent a law and order situation.
Police registered an FIR and arrested the man under section 295 of the IPC, based on the complaint lodged by the women.
Jashpur also observed ‘bandh’ in protest of the incident.
