Chhattisgarh coal mine stir: Video shows woman constable’s clothes being torn; two held

Raigarh (Chhattisgarh): A disturbing video showing an on-duty woman constable being assaulted and having her clothes torn during an anti-mining protest in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district has surfaced on social media, triggering outrage.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident so far, and efforts are being made to identify others involved in the crime, police said on Friday.

The incident took place on December 27 in the Tamnar block when a protest by residents of 14 villages against a coal mining project turned violent.

According to police, a woman constable was left alone among the mob in a field, where she was assaulted.

In the video that surfaced on social media on Thursday, the constable is seen lying on the ground, crying and pleading for mercy as two men rip her clothes off and question her presence at the protest site.

She is heard crying continuously with folded hands and repeatedly requesting them to let her go. “Don’t tear, bhai. I will not do anything. I did not hit anyone,” she says.

One of the accused is seen pulling her torn clothes, while another films the assault and later threatens her with a sandal and screams at her.

Two of the alleged molesters, both local residents, were arrested and, based on their statements and digital evidence, more people involved in the incident are being identified, Inspector General of Police, Bilaspur Range, Sanjeev Shukla said.

The accused have been booked on charges of molestation, attempt to murder, loot and other offences, he said, adding that further investigation is underway.

A blurred video of the assault was shared on Facebook by the All India Mahila Congress on Friday.

“The video of a female police constable being assaulted and having her clothes torn in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, is extremely disturbing. If even female police officers are not safe, what hope is there for ordinary citizens?

“It is clear that the double-engine BJP government has completely failed on the fronts of women's safety and law and order,” it wrote.

State Congress communication head Sushil Anand Shukla described the episode as horrifying and shameful, and said the government must introspect on why anger against the police and administration was growing among the masses.

He claimed people were losing faith in the system.

Clashes broke out last week between police and locals near Libra village where the latter had been protesting since December 12, demanding cancellation of the public hearing held for the proposed Gare Pelma Sector-I coal block allotted to Jindal Power Limited.

The locals fear loss of livelihood, community displacement and other difficulties due to mining in the area.

Several policemen, including two officials, were injured after protesters allegedly resorted to stone-pelting.

The mob allegedly set ablaze a police bus, a jeep and an ambulance, besides damaging several other government vehicles. Protesters also stormed the coal handling plant of Jindal Power near Libra village and torched a conveyor belt, two tractors and other vehicles, while vandalising office premises.

Villagers had claimed that the situation turned tense after police attempted to remove protesters from the demonstration site.

During the violence, a group of women allegedly assaulted Station House Officer of Tamnar police station Kamla Pusam, causing her injuries.

A day after the violence, the Raigarh administration said it had initiated the cancellation process of the public hearing held for the project.