Alleging mental agony, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) worker who washed party’s MP Nishikant Dubey in Jharkhand has now sued 10 senior journalists for broadcasting his act of cleaning the MP’s feet and drinking that water.
BJP worker and complainant Pawan Kumar filed his complaint on 19 September, Wednesday, seeking legal action under Section 500, 504 and 506 of Indian Penal Code and IT Act section 67.
WHO HAS BEEN SUED BY PAWAN?
In his complaint, Pawan has sued journalists and senior editors Rohini Singh, Aroon Purie, Radhika Roy, Prannoy Roy, Abhik Sarkar, Rahul Joshi, Sudhir Chaudhary, Sudhir Agarwal and Chandan Sharma for broadcasting the incident where he was seen washing BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s feet on 16 September, Sunday in Jharkhand’s Godda village.
WHAT DOES PAWAN’S COMPLAINT SAY?
Calling it an auspicious day when BJP MP Nishikant Dubey came to his village Godda in Jharkhand for the foundation laying ceremony of a bridge, Pawan, in his complaint, has said that his request to clean and wipe Dubey’s feet was declined by the MP initially by saying that “he will never allow it happen”.
Pawan’s written complaint further mentions that after the BJP MP declined his request, the villagers protested in unison.
Pawan then said that he requested MP Dubey to allow him to clean his feet as “it is a centuries-old ritual to clean the feet of a guest and a guru”.
“If I am not given this opportunity, I will harm myself with a knife since I have got this opportunity to clean and wipe the feet of Shri Dubey after so much persuasion.”
Alleging manipulation of facts by the camerapersons, Pawan further wrote in his complaint that some camerapersons captured this incident on their cameras and broadcasted the incident by manipulating facts across the country.
In his complaint, Pawan has also alleged that the broadcast of this news on TV and in newspapers in a “twisted way” has caused “him and his family mental agony”. He has also called the broadcast of this news as an attempt to malign his societal status and that his health has worsened because of this.
“I am seeking treatment when I had willingly washed feet, and not under pressure or instigation, to express my feelings,” Pawan wrote in his complaint.
WHAT HAPPENED IN JHARKHAND ON 16 SEPTEMBER?
BJP MP Dubey had gone to lay the foundation stone of a bridge at Kanbhara village in Godda block – around 330 km – from Ranchi on 16 September, Sunday where Pawan Kumar Sah, a party worker, washed BJP MP’s feet on a metal plate and then gulped down the water. This led to an a furore on social media where several called the incident shameful.
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