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ISLAMABAD: The Indian National Congress on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh of shielding a party leader accused of assaulting a woman, following the circulation of a video allegedly showing the incident.&nbsp;In a post on X, the Congress said the incident took place in Nagod in Satna district and involved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/opposition-slams-indias-ruling-bjp-after-attack-on-christian-pastor" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">BJP&nbsp;</a>mandal president Pulkit Tandon.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 698px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2016485157079761076&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=9c73833bd4df316d92757f2ad9eeb8579b8cea1d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2016485157079761076">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>In its post, the Congress alleged that Tandon was seen in the video chasing and brutally beating a woman, even after she fell onto a pile of rods.&nbsp; The party claimed that he continued to thrash her mercilessly and later threatened the woman and her daughter to force a quiet settlement, allegedly saying that no one could take action against him.&nbsp; Opposition demands immediate arrest&nbsp;The Congress further alleged that local residents said Tandon claimed to be a close confidant of the Chief Minister and senior ministers, and described him as a source of terror in the area.&nbsp; The opposition party demanded his immediate arrest and strict action, accusing the BJP government of being indifferent to atrocities against women, Dalits and tribals. Meanwhile, Indian media reported on Thursday that Tandon has been booked for allegedly assaulting a young woman and her mother following a late-night altercation in Satna district.&nbsp; The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday night at the warehouse of Tandon&rsquo;s trading shop. As per the complaint, the woman, who runs a beauty parlor, alleged she was called to the warehouse under the pretext of attending to a customer.&nbsp; She told <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indian-opposition-slams-police-for-discriminatory-practices-after-bareilly-birthday-party-attack" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">police </a>she received a phone call from RK Namdev, described as Tandon&rsquo;s servant, who later connected her to Tandon.&nbsp; Assault and abuse&nbsp;The woman claimed that when she reached the warehouse, she found Tandon consuming alcohol.&nbsp; She alleged that when she tried to leave, Tandon grabbed her hand, pushed her to the ground, slapped and assaulted her, while verbally abusing her. The woman&rsquo;s mother and brother intervened, and the brother&rsquo;s mobile phone was allegedly smashed when he attempted to record the incident. Both women sustained injuries and were hospitalized.&nbsp; CCTV footage of the incident later surfaced and went viral.&nbsp; Police registered an FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.&nbsp; BJP has issued a notice to Tandon seeking an explanation, while police said further investigation is underway, the Indian media report said.

India

In a post on X, Congress shares BJP leader Pulkit Tandon’s video, purportedly chasing and brutally beating a woman, even after she fell onto a pile of rods. 

Congress accuses BJP of shielding leader accused of assaulting woman 

ISLAMABAD: A coalition of right-wing Hindu groups enforced a statewide shutdown in India&rsquo;s Chhattisgarh state on Wednesday, disrupting daily life and targeting Christmas celebrations amid protests over alleged religious conversions, according to Indian media reports. The daylong shutdown, known as a &ldquo;Chhattisgarh Bandh,&rdquo; was called by the Sarva Hindu Samaj to protest what it described as an inadequate police response to a violent clash earlier this week in Kanker district, The Hindu reported. The unrest escalated in Raipur, the state capital, where a mob stormed the Magneto Mall on Wednesday afternoon. The media reported that about 40 to 50 men armed with sticks and rods entered the mall, tore down Christmas decorations including stars, garlands, and a Santa Claus display, and questioned shoppers and staff about their religious identity and caste before damaging property. The Indian Express reported that Raipur police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against around 30 unidentified individuals on charges of rioting and vandalism. Police said investigations were underway. The shutdown capped a volatile week for minority relations in central India.&nbsp; On Tuesday, the Catholic Bishops&rsquo; Conference of India issued a statement condemning what it described as an &ldquo;alarming&rdquo; rise in attacks on Christians during the Christmas season. According to The Hindu, the bishops said they were particularly disturbed by a viral video from Jabalpur in the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh. The footage allegedly shows Anju Bhargava, a local vice president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, verbally abusing and physically harassing a visually impaired woman who was attending a Christmas program. &ldquo;These attacks gravely undermine India&rsquo;s constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion,&rdquo; the bishops said in the statement, urging Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure strict law enforcement and provide &ldquo;proactive protection&rdquo; to Christian communities.

In Raipur, a group armed with wooden sticks damaged Christmas displays at Magneto Mall (Screengrab / X)

Asia

A coalition of right-wing Hindu groups enforced a statewide shutdown in India’s Chhattisgarh state on Wednesday, disrupting daily life and targeting Christmas celebrations amid protests over alleged religious conversions, according to Indian media reports

Articles tagged with "Bharatiya Janata Party"

Congress accuses BJP of shielding leader accused of assaulting woman

Indian Hindutva groups shut Chhattisgarh down, target Christmas celebrations