MP government sanctions Rs 6.5 lakh relief for tribal victim of urination incident

Bhopal, Jul 7 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh government has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the tribal, on whom a man had urinated in Sidhi district, and provided an additional sum of Rs 1.5 lakh for the construction of his house, an official said on Friday.

The financial help comes a day after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan washed the feet of the victim, Dashmat Rawat, at his residence in Bhopal and also apologised to him over the humiliating incident.

On the Chief Minister’s directives, financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh and an additional aid of Rs 1.5 lakh (total Rs 6.5 lakh) for the construction of house have been sanctioned for Rawat, the Sidhi district collector said.

Police on Wednesday arrested Pravesh Shukla, who is accused of urinating on the tribal man.
Besides facing relevant charges under the IPC and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, action has also been initiated against Shukla under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), an official earlier said.

A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms on Tuesday, following which the police registered a case against him.

The NSA allows preventive detention of an individual for months if police feels the individual is a threat to the national security, and law and order.

On Thursday, Chouhan warned that those committing unjust acts and indulging in wrongdoing against the poor would be severely punished.

The urination episode has triggered a political controversy in Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due by the year-end, with the Opposition Congress attacking the ruling BJP over the incident and calling Chouhan’s act of washing the victim’s feet as mere drama.