Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday declared that atrocities against tribals and Dalits have grown under the rule of the BJP, referring to an incident in Madhya Pradesh where a man, speculated to be a BJP leader, was seen urinating on a tribal. The former Congress leader called it an “inhuman act” that exposed the “real face of BJP’s hatred towards tribals and Dalits”. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticized the BJP for the incident and noted that during the 18 years of BJP rule in the state, 30,400 cases of atrocities on tribals have been reported. She asked why the government had not taken any real steps to prevent such occurrences. The man in question was arrested after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called for his immediate arrest, and Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the act was “heinous, condemnable, and a blot on humanity”. Mishra also mentioned the use of a “bulldozer” action, which has become popular under the rule of Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh. A case was filed against the accused under the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the National Security Act was also invoked.
