A video of a BJP leader in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur harassing a visually impaired woman has gone viral, sparking intense backlash. The footage shows the leader making comments about the woman's disability.
In the video, the BJP leader is seen allegedly making derogatory remarks at the visually impaired woman, saying she was blind in this life and would remain blind in the next as well. She is also heard questioning the woman for wearing vermilion and bringing a child among Christians.
The footage further shows the leader allegedly holding the woman's hand and engaging in a physical scuffle, while police personnel present at the spot are seen intervening to defuse the situation.
The incident is linked to a protest that took place on December 20 at a church in Gorakhpur area of Jabalpur, where a large number of Hindu organisation activists gathered alleging forced religious conversion. Protesters claimed that visually impaired students were being brought to the church for conversion, leading to a heated confrontation between both sides.
According to sources, BJP district functionary Anju Bhargava was present at the protest along with members of Hindu organisations. It is alleged that she entered the church premises, where children and a differently-abled woman were seated, and an argument ensued, eventually escalating into the altercation seen in the viral video.
Hindu organisation activists have further alleged that visually impaired children were brought to Hawabagh College and were being "brainwashed," though no official confirmation of these claims has been made so far.
After the video surfaced on Monday, the Congress launched a sharp attack on the BJP. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video on social media, alleging that the woman seen assaulting a visually impaired person is BJP's Jabalpur district vice-president Anju Bhargava.
She termed the incident as an example of "cruelty and insensitivity" and accused the BJP of double standards between its rhetoric and actions.
As of now, the BJP has not issued any official statement or response regarding the viral video or the allegations surrounding the incident.
