Hubballi Arrest Row: Police Deny Disrobing Charge, Say Woman Stripped Self and Bit Cops

Hubballi: A controversy erupted in Hubballi after a video of a woman, said to be a BJP worker, being arrested went viral, triggering allegations that her clothes were removed inside the police vehicle. The police have clearly denied the allegations and said that the woman herself had removed the cloth and assaulted police personnel.

The incident occurred on January 5 and triggered controversy on Wednesday after a video of the arrest of she was circulated on social media. BJP has strongly condemned the incident. The episode is said to be linked to an incident that took place on January 1 during the voter mapping exercise in the Keshwapur police station limits.

While the video led to widespread outrage, the government and the police officials denied any wrongdoing, stating that the woman removed her clothes herself and created a scene inside the police vehicle.

Replying to questions on the incident, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that when police went to arrest a woman named, she herself removed her clothes and bit women police personnel.

“An FIR has been registered. More than 10 women police personnel were present. No one should take the law into their own hands. Strict action will be taken against those who do,” he said.

Addressing reporters, the City Police Commissioner said a scuffle had occurred during the survey work on January 1, following which a case was registered.

“Based on the case, our team went to arrest the accused woman on January 5. While she was being taken in the police van, she removed her clothes and assaulted the women police personnel when they tried to restrain her. A cloth was immediately put. She is now in judicial custody,” he said.

The Commissioner said the woman has nine criminal cases registered against her including the recent ones.

“She assaulted our women police Kalavathi, Shakunthala, Rekha and Margaret and also bit police personnel on the stomach, and resisted arrest, assaulting both women and male staff,” he said, adding that the probe would also include identifying those who recorded and circulated the video.

He added that, considering her previous behaviour, an additional women police team had been deployed during the arrest.

Police officials said the woman had not made any allegation of being disrobed either during the medical examination or before the magistrate.

Meanwhile, a woman police told reporters that the accused had bitten her and another personnel. “She assaulted us and, removed her clothes and threw them at us. We asked her not to behave in that manner, but she continued,” the constable said.

Police also alleged that family members of the accused did not cooperate and behaved improperly with the police team during the operation.

In a press statement, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi claimed that the police had displayed high-handedness against a BJP worker based on a complaint lodged by a Congress corporator, and alleged that the incident reflected the deteriorating law and order situation in the State, making women unsafe under what he termed a “misgoverned administration”.

He said the incident was highly condemnable and claimed that the Home Minister remained indifferent, while the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister were engaged in political infighting, forcing people in the State to live in an atmosphere of fear.

The Union Minister demanded immediate legal action against the police personnel responsible for the incident, as well as against those who, he alleged, were behind the conspiracy that led to it.

In the evening, the BJP staged a protest condemning the incident, describing it as inhuman. BJP leader Jyothi Patil expressed anguish over the episode and blamed a Congress corporator for the incident. She demanded strict action against the police personnel involved as well as the corporator. When the protesters continued with their demonstration, the police took them into preventive custody and later released them at a different location.