Two days after the incident of mass molestation surfaced from Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh, 15 people have been arrested, police said on Monday, 14 March.
The video created massive uproar after it went viral on social media and the police took cognisance and lodged a First Information Report (FIR) on the matter.
"We got to know about the incident and as it was a sensitive issue, we lodged an FIR suo-moto and started investigating the matter. We have arrested 15 people."Manoj Singh, Superintendent of Police, Alirajpur district.
The video showed a group of young people groping and sexually assaulting women as onlookers went by.
The incident happened while a local yearly fair 'Bhagoria Mela' was being organised throughout the district. According to the police, the incident happened on 11 March and they got to know about the video only after it went viral.
"When we got to know about the video we acted on ourselves. So far no one has come forward to complain. The FIR was registered under IPC section 354 (Assault of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and section 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention)."SP Alirajpur
"Further preparations have been made like installation of more CCTVs, increase of police force in the fair areas. Steps are being taken to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future," SP further said.
The week-long Bhagoriya fair is celebrated in tribal-dominant districts like Jhabua, Dhar, Alirajpur, Barwani and parts of western Madhya Pradesh.
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