The incident took place on Sunday in the Banganga district of Indore.
Bhopal:
A bracelet seller who was beaten and robbed for allegedly using a false Hindu name in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, has been charged with molestation and sexual harassment and a police case has been filed against him.
Earlier on Monday, three men were arrested for the attack on the 25-year-old. Late in the evening a case was filed against him under the protection of children from sexual offenses or POCSO over the complaint of the girl, a 6th grade student.
After Sunday morning’s attack, Home Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra said: “When a man hides his name, caste and religion, bitterness comes”, adding that the incident should not take on a “common color”.
“He used a Hindu name, although he belonged to a different community. He also had two different Aadhaar cards… he sold bracelets that our daughters wear and apply henna during the sawan (monsoon)… that’s how the altercation began ‘ said the minister.
The video of the attack, which was widely distributed, showed a group of men taunting the bracelet seller in the market. They empty his bag of bracelets and invite onlookers to help themselves. Then they abuse him and start hitting him, raining punches and kicks. The 25-year-old was also reportedly robbed of Rs 10,000 by his attackers during the incident. A case was filed after hundreds of people protested outside the police station.
Tonight, police said the man was accused of assaulting a young girl in the same town. This incident also took place on Sunday, but the complaint came later because the girl was embarrassed, police said.
The man had harassed her when her mother had entered the house to get money. She has also charged him with forgery and fraud, police said, citing the complaint.
The man introduced himself as Golu, the son of Mohar Singh, later called Tasleem Ali. He owned three separate voter ID cards, she said in her complaint. Police have urged people not to respond to social media posts about the attack.
“We are monitoring such posts on social media. Severe action will be taken against them,” said Ashutosh Bagri, a senior police officer at the Indore East Police Department.
Indore’s District Collector, meanwhile, said some banned organizations have disrupted communal harmony in Indore after the incident.
“They are under surveillance. It was also found that activists from the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) had come to Indore and incited the youths to such incidents. There was a case registered against the people who led the protest outside the Central Kotwali Police Station. The police are investigating the matter. Some names of PFI and SDPI employees have come forward, a case will also be filed against them,” he said .
