Indore:
An FIR has been filed against a former Congress leader here after a video went viral on social media in which minor girls dressed like Rani Laxmibai were purportedly heard making certain comments against BJP Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia and his family, said a police official on Thursday.
On the basis of a complaint lodged by the BJP with a poll officer, a case was registered against former Congress leader Prakash Mahawar and two to three unidentified women on Wednesday evening, Chandrawatiganj police station in-charge Mohan Jat said.
They were booked under section IPC sections 188 (disobeying a government official order) and 171-F (punishment for undue influence or personation at an election), he said.
Twenty-eight assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh are going to bypolls on November 3.
The incident took place on Tuesday when Scindia arrived at Chandrawatiganj under the Sanwer assembly constituency for campaigning. Sanwer in Indore district is one of the seats facing by-elections.
It was alleged in the complaint that Mahawar brought five minor girls to Chandrawatiganj who were dressed like Rani Laxmibai, Jat said.
An unidentified person on camera asked them about the sacrifices made by the legendary queen of Jhansi, he said.
The girls, holding toy swords and ‘dhals’ (shields), purportedly made certain comments against Scindia, a member of the erstwhile Gwalior royal dynasty, and his family, the police officer said.
A video of the incident was posted on social media and it was widely shared.
State BJP spokesman Umesh Sharma alleged that the Congress was behind the controversial video.
Sharma said on the basis of the audio-visual content, he filed a complaint of violation of the model code of conduct with an election official.
However, Mahawar claimed that after the fall of the Kamal Nath government in March, he had left the Congress and now runs a news channel on YouTube.
Mahawar also claimed he had not brought the girls to Chandrawatiganj, as alleged in the complaint, and denied any link to the incident.
