Two people were arrested on Friday for allegedly assaulting and tearing a woman constable’s clothes during an anti-mining protest at Tamnar in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district last week.
A video of the assault surfaced on social media on Thursday and triggered outrage. The constable was left alone in an open field as the protest turned violent. She is purportedly seen in the video on the ground, crying and pleading for mercy as two men tear her clothes and question why she was at the site. With folded hands, she is heard requesting them to let her go. “Do not tear, brother. I will not do anything. I did not hit anyone.”
One of the accused is seen pulling her clothes while another records the assault on his phone and threatens her with a sandal, shouting at her.
Inspector general (Bilaspur) Sanjeev Shukla said more people involved in the incident were being identified based on the statements of the two arrested accused and digital evidence. Shukla said the accused have been booked on charges including attempt to murder, loot, etc. He added that further investigation is underway.
The Opposition Congress shared a blurred video of the assault on social media, calling it extremely disturbing. It added that if a woman police constable is also not safe, it raises serious questions about women’s security and law and order.
State Congress communication head Sushil Anand Shukla described the assault as horrifying and shameful. He said the government must introspect on why the anger against the police and administration was growing. He claimed people were losing faith in the system.
Clashes broke out as locals were protesting, demanding the cancellation of a public hearing for a proposed coal block allotment. Villagers said they feared loss of livelihood and displacement.
Two officials were among those injured when protesters allegedly resorted to stone throwing. Two police vehicles and an ambulance were set ablaze. Protesters stormed a coal handling plant, torched a conveyor belt, two vehicles, and vandalised an office.
Protesters claimed the situation escalated after police attempted to remove protesters from the demonstration site. A group of women allegedly assaulted police officer Kamla Pusam.
A day after the violence, the Raigarh district administration said it had initiated the process to cancel the public hearing for the coal block allotment.
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