15 arrested after video of mob sexually molesting women in public goes viral

Mangalore Today News Network

Alirajpur, Mar 14, 2022: The Alirajpur police in Madhya Pradesh have arrested fifteen people after a video of two tribal women being molested by a group of men in public during the famous Bhagoria festival went viral. As soon as the horrific video of men molesting two women went viral on social media, police registered a case suo moto and took the three accused into custody.

 

The police have identified and arrested fifteen accused but the victims still remain untraceable. On Sunday, a video of two tribal women being molested by a group of men in full public view about 30 kms from Alirajpur district headquarters created a flutter on social media.

Reacting to the massive outrage that these videos evoked, the Alirajpur district police on Monday claimed that all the accused, which include 15 boys aged between 19 and 25 years of age, have been identified and arrested. The video has been making rounds on social media since Friday.

As soon as the horrific video of men molesting two women went viral on social media, police registered a case suo moto and took the accused into custody.

The incident happened on the outskirts of Walpur village in Sonwa region around 30 kms from the district headquarters on Friday. In the video, the two women could be seen standing beside a vehicle on a busy road in Alirajpur and a group of men trying to forcibly sexually assault them in broad daylight. People can be seen recording the incident on their phone but no one comes to their rescue.

In the disturbing video, the two women can be seen hiding behind a parked goods carrier when some men grope them and try to kiss them. The women try to escape but the mob chase, drag and molest them in public.Neither of the women filed a complaint against the accused but the police took note of the video and have launched a manhunt to track down the molestors. Alirajpur SP Manoj Kumar Singh reached the crime spot and launched an investigation following which the accused were nabbed.

Manoj Kumar Singh told India Today, "The videos were widely shared on social media, following which the police took cognizance of the same and registered a case under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against unidentified men. Forensic teams examined the videos and identified the accused.” Police probe revealed that the video was shot by a young man, a resident of Dhar, and the video was uploaded by a teen from Alirajpur.

The miscreants have been booked under section 354 (molestation) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Information Act (IT). Police have also booked the accused who shot the video on their mobile phones.

The opposition party Congress has alleged that the incident reflects the state of affairs of law and order in the state even as attempts were made to deflect from the issue by referring to customs of the Bhagoria festival.

Narendra Saluja, Congress spokesman, said, “The Bhagoria festival is a very pious and pure festival and what happened with the two women shows that girls and women are facing harassment under Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s government. The accused have been arrested but this is a deplorable act."

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra called this incident a ’crime’ and said that action was being taken against the accused and police are trying to identify and trace the victims.

Courtesy:India Today