RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh police have registered a case against the vice president of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in Raigarh for posting an “indecent and obscene” remark about a 2007-batch woman IAS officer on social media.
The BJP youth wing leader Prakash Agrawal’s comments against IAS officer Shammi Abidi had come a day after she was transferred to Raigarh as district collector. The accused person had posted an image of the Raigarh collector along with his “obscene” message on WhatsApp. “We registered a case late on Monday night against Agrawal, who is said to be a senior youth leader of a political party. He has been booked under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act for transmitting obscene and objectionable content on an electronic platform.
The accused is still at large," Raigarh superintendent of police B N Meena told The New Indian Express. Agrawal is absconding following the complaint lodged against him by the WhatsApp group admin. Abidi, who was Kanker (north Bastar) collector and was yet to take the charge as Raigarh district magistrate was not available for comment.
Her husband Arif Sheikh, who is the Bastar SP, said a case has also been registered against Agrawal in Jagdalpur, the district headquarters of Bastar. “Such atrocious acts expose how ugly the mindset of youth of the ruling party has become. It’s not a question of women being targeted by these people since the Raigarh collector replaced by Abidi was also a woman officer. He has written such filthy things just because the IAS officer happens to be a Muslim," said political analyst Parivesh Mishra, who hails from the same place where the BJYM leader lives.
Activists of Yuva Janta Congress - the youth wing of former CM Ajit Jogi’s party Chhattisgarh Janata Congress - staged a day-long demonstration at Kotwali police station in Raigarh demanding the immediate arrest of the accused.
The opposition Congress has lashed out at the ruling party over the post. “The offensive message exposes the conduct and character of youth nurtured by the BJP. Such behaviour is completely unacceptable in any civilised society," leader of the Opposition Bhupesh Baghel said.