Kanpur: Etawah police have filed an FIR against a woman for allegedly compelling a ‘katha vachak’, accused of hiding his “caste identity”, to perform demeaning act in Dandarpur village of the district on June 21.DIG Harish Chander said that the district police would confiscate properties and enforce the National Security Act (NSA) against the accused. “Cases have been registered against 20 identified and over a hundred unidentified people. At least 19 accused have been arrested besides 11 others who are in police custody for making inflammatory posts on social media,” the DIG said.Samajwadi Party representatives visited SSP Brijesh Kumar Srivastava on Saturday and demanded action against the woman. A case was registered against the woman at Bakewar police station. The woman denied allegations and said that she never used objectionable language. She claimed that the video in circulation was AI-generated. The incident unfolded during a religious gathering at the residence of an upper caste woman, where two ‘katha vachaks’ (those who recite religious text) were called for Bhagavad Gita recitation.The duo was assaulted, tonsured and forced to perform demeaning acts after the hosts found that they belonged to Yadav community.According to police, during a religious event at Jai Prakash Tiwari’s house in Dandarpur village in Etawah, villagers allegedly attacked ‘katha vachak’ Mukut Mani Singh Yadav and his associate after inquiring about their caste. The host, Renu Tiwari, allegedly humiliated Mukut Mani. Authorities filed an FIR against Mukut Mani Yadav and Sant Kumar Yadav on a complaint by Jai Prakash Tiwari. On June 24, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav felicitated the ‘katha vachak’ in Lucknow, provided them musical instruments and organised a ‘katha’ session. Akhilesh criticised the use of force by dominant groups and questioned their authority, condemning the govt’s support for unconstitutional actions.
