Netizens outraged over viral video of BJP MLA aide urinating on an Adivasi worker

Calling the incident "horrific", "shameful" and "utterly casteist", netizens have slammed the viral video which displays a Hindu Brahmin man, identified as Parvesh Shukla, urinating on an Adivasi worker in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district.

With #ArrestParveshShukla, Twitter users have highlighted that the Shukla is a BJP worker and a close aide of Madhya Pradesh MLA Kedarnath Shukla, and demanded immediate action against him.

The undated 10-second video, which is said to be several months old, went viral on social media on Tuesday, July 4, created an uproar in the poll-bound state, and triggered widespread condemnation.

Bhopal police on Wednesday, July 5, arrested Shukla at around 2:30 AM from the outskirts of his native village Kubri. "The accused has been taken in custody and is being interrogated," said a police official. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

"Action will be taken after ascertaining the facts about the video. It needs to be ascertained if the Dalit (man) was involved in the incident," said Priya Singh, deputy SP, Sidhi.

"Indian liberals wake up to casteism only when a distressing video of a Caste Hindu man brutalising a Dalit or Adivasi man/woman surfaces on internet. If not for social media such acts of violence won't even reach them, bother them or trigger a response from them," wrote a Twitter user.

"Today they are forced to talk about the Madhya Pradesh incident because what they saw in the video was dehumanising and extremely disturbing to watch," he added.

"Human rights violation is taking place everyday in India. Hindu Brahmin BJP MLA urinates on a tribal person in Madhya Pradesh. In a state where 21% of the people are STs, watch this atrocious, discriminatory and deplorable incident’s perpetrator being released asap," wrote another user.

"It’s now to see how much time it will take to bulldoze Pravesh Shukla home?" remarked another user. "Under Modi's rule, Lives of tribals have become worse across the country Manipur to Madhya Pradesh," he added.

Opposition has also reacted strongly to the incident. The Congress, pitted against the BJP in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh polls shared the video and wrote "Terror of BJP leaders at its peak".

"The BJP leader, who talks falsely about the interests of the tribals, is pissing on a tribal poor person like this. Very condemnable act. @ChouhanShivraj Yes, is this your tribal love?? What to call this Jungle Raj and why the BJP leader was not arrested? The name of the accused is being told as Pravesh Shukla, who is the representative of the BJP MLA. The MLA is Kedar Nath Shukla. There are photographs of the accused urinating on the tribal youth along with veteran BJP leaders," Congress leader Hafeez tweeted from his official page.

"Atrocities on tribal brothers and sisters are increasing in the BJP rule. The entire humanity has been put to shame by the inhuman crime of a BJP leader in Madhya Pradesh. This is the disgusting face and real character of BJP's hatred towards tribals and Dalits," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

"The Man peeing in the video is said to be a close aid of a BJP MLA in Madhya Pradesh. Look at his audacity to pee on a poor Adivasi. It shows how people in the BJP are intoxicated by power and reflects their mindset for Dalits and Adivasis. I am sure countless Dalits and Adivasis would be facing one or the other kind of such humiliations on an everyday basis under this Manuwadi Sarkar," Congress leader Jignesh Mevani wrote on Twitter.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Naresh Balyan labelled Pravesh Shukla as the 'devil'. "This video is said to be from Madhya Pradesh, and information is coming that this person is the direct representative of the BJP MLA. Respected. @ChouhanShivraj Yes, this devil is not doing it on the face of that poor man but on your system. It is your responsibility that no one should trouble that poor person," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP has denied any associations with Shukla. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan stated that stringent action will be against the accused. "A viral video from Sidhi district has come to my notice….I have instructed the administration to arrest the culprit and take the strictest action and also invoke the National Security Act," Chouhan said in a tweet. Kedar Nath Shukla has said that the accused is not his representative.