A man has been arrested for allegedly getting a woman drunk and sexually assaulting her on a busy road in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Passersby, rather than intervening, filmed the assault on their phones and shared the video on social media.
The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon in the Koyla Phatak area, one of the busiest intersections in the city.
According to the police, the survivor, a ragpicker, met Lokesh, who promised to marry her and persuaded her to go with him. He then gave her alcohol, and once she was intoxicated, he took her to a roadside shelter where he raped her, the police said.
An eyewitness recorded the assault and posted the video online, while the accused fled the scene after threatening the woman. The viral video enabled police to locate the survivor, who was brought to the station where a case was registered based on her statement. The video also assisted police in identifying the accused, leading to his arrest.
The incident has sparked a political uproar, with the opposition Congress accusing the ruling BJP of failing to maintain law and order in the state.
Madhya Pradesh Congress shared the video of the assault on X, stating, “Ujjain, the sacred city, is once again shamed. Those in power should either die of shame or resign.”
State Congress chief Jitu Patwari posted on X, “Once again, the holy city of Ujjain is tarnished… Rapes are now happening in broad daylight in MP — on open streets. This is only possible when the law and government completely disappear. If this is the situation in the Chief Minister’s hometown, then one can imagine the condition of the rest of the state. The atrocities being continuously committed against Dalit and tribal women can also be felt!”
Another Congress leader, Shama Mohamed, also wrote on X, “A woman was raped in broad daylight on the streets of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, while bystanders filmed instead of helping. Where are we headed as a society? Since this happened in a BJP-ruled state, mainstream media and BJP leaders may not express the same outrage as they did in the Kolkata case.”
“A woman is raped in broad daylight on a road in Ujjain. Business as usual. Videos are made. Sold & circulated. No one man or woman intervenes even uses the phone they film with to call the cops. We are a sick country & the rape capital of the world,” journalist Swati Chauturvedi wrote on X.
