Raigarh, Jan 2: An on-duty woman police constable was stripped and assaulted during a violent anti-mining protest in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, officials said, adding that two men have been arrested in connection with the incident after a video of the assault surfaced on social media.
The incident occurred on December 27 in the Tamnar block of Raigarh, where residents from more than a dozen villages have been protesting against a proposed coal mining project. The agitation turned violent when a mob of over a thousand protesters allegedly torched vehicles, pelted stones, assaulted police personnel and damaged private property.
Police officials said the force was outnumbered during the violence and had to retreat. In the chaos, the woman constable was allegedly left behind in an open field. A video that later went viral shows the constable lying on the ground and pleading with two men who were seen tearing her clothes and verbally abusing her.
In the footage, the men can be heard questioning her presence at the protest site and threatening her, while the constable is seen folding her hands and repeatedly requesting to be let go. She is heard saying that she was deployed on duty and had not harmed anyone. One of the accused allegedly recorded the incident on a mobile phone while continuing to assault and threaten her.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akash Markam confirmed that two men have been arrested so far in connection with the incident and that further investigation is underway.
The blurred video clip was shared on social media by the All India Mahila Congress, which condemned the incident and questioned the safety of women, including women police personnel, in the state.
Officials said villagers from Tamnar block have been protesting since December 12 and had set up a sit-in at the Coal Handling Plant (CHP) chowk in Libra village. Protesters had also blocked roads and prevented mining-related vehicles from passing through the area.
Police said security arrangements have since been strengthened in the region, and strict action will be taken against those involved in the violence and the assault on the woman constable.
