Suresh Sudele, the regional head of the Bhopal Unit of Right-Wing group was one of the other 7 men who were alleged and arrested by the police for attacking and vandalizing Bollywood’s filmmaker Prakash Jha and the crew on the set of his web series named ASHRAM last month. If we dig into the background of Suresh Sudele, he has a criminal record. He was convicted for the murder of a Bhopal-based businessman named Bhagwat in the year 2011. He was in prison for 4 years and got bail afterwards.
It won’t be a surprising situation keeping the current law and order of India in mind that one of the major accused along with seven others in attacking the filmmaker and the crew of the series got bail in just one day. The police said that they aren’t the ones to be blamed, as the team of the Ashram series wasn’t ardent on pressing charges against the culprits. The police charged the quintessential goons with minor charges, which helped them make their way out in just one day.
Congress being an opposition party has blamed the saffron-led ruling party BJP to be sheltering the criminals. They have alleged the ruling party to be protecting the goons and criminals with strong political backgrounds and connections. Many Bajrang Dal leaders and volunteers have often been seen on the same platform with state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Home Minister Narottam Mishra, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and other BJP and RSS leaders. All these gestures clearly show that these criminals are just not some faded connection with powerful leaders but are on good terms with them.
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Narottam Mishra, the home minister of the state, defended this act by the Bajrang Dal and their supporters. He backed the culprits who thrashed a renowned filmmaker and his crew. He while defending the accused group demanded to change the name of the web series. Furthermore, he, like the majority of BJP leaders, expressed his concern regarding the show like these which according to them targets Hinduism to bring the faith in and light and hurt the religious sentiments of the people.
“I also support this. Why is the web series named Ashram? They will understand the consequences if they name web series or stories after other religions? We consider the ransacking as wrong. Four persons were arrested, and further legal steps will be taken. But, Jha saheb, think about your mistakes too”. This unfortunately is the statement made by the Home Minister of the state. This connects the dots with the dot of the accused getting bail in just one day.
PC Sharma, former state Law Minister, and Congress leader made a statement highlighting Suresh Sudele organizing the attack and the Home Minister protecting and praising the assailant.
He also questioned if the government will be the one defending the lawbreakers, then how are we going to build a film city and generate employment? The entire attack is on camera shot by eyewitnesses, showing the members of the Right-wing group chasing the crew and beating one of them ruthlessly with a metal rod. Prakash Jha’s face was painted black as a sign of symbolic protest, as said by Sudele itself.
It’s unfortunate to see the current law and order situation in India, especially the BJP ruling states. Political Activists, Students, Researchers, Reformers are in jail for barely protesting or even not doing anything in thousands of numbers and the ones taking law in their hands, thrashing people, spewing communal hatred are roaming free like never before. If the people who have the responsibility to run the state constitutionally are the ones defending the assailants and spreading abhorrence in every way possible, how are the laymen of the country supposed to feel safe? Is this the freedom of speech and expression left?
Also Read: Kashi Vishwanath Dham Project
