A 30-year-old Muslim woman has claimed that she was beaten up by her brother-in-law for voting in favour of BJP in Madhya Pradesh assembly polls and celebrating the party victory, an incident prompting chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to reach out to the victim.
Chouhan on Saturday invited the woman to his residence in Bhopal and comforted her.
Earlier in the day, police arrested the accused Javeed, the younger brother of complainant Samina Bi's husband, a day after she and her father visited the office of the Sehore collector seeking stern action.
Notably, Sehore is the home district of Chouhan.
According to police, Javeed allegedly thrashed Samina on Monday when she was celebrating the victory of the BJP in the recently-held assembly elections, counting for which was done on December 3.
A case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Javeed on a complaint lodged by the woman, police said.
The woman had told reporters that she had voted for the BJP as she is a beneficiary of all the schemes of the government including the Ladli Behna Yojana.
As per the government, 1.31 crore women in the state are getting financial help of Rs 1,250 per month under this scheme.
"With 'mamaji' Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Sehore BJP MLA Sudesh Rai on my mind, I voted for the BJP,” Samina had said.
On Saturday, Samina visited Chouhan with her children in Bhopal after he invited her, as per the Chief Minister's Office.
“By casting your vote, you have exercised your right. Everyone has the right to vote as per the Constitution. People vote for those who do well for them. That is not at all wrong. Thus I wanted to meet you. Do not worry. We will take care of you and take care of your worries,” Chouhan told the woman.
Queried about the incident, Madhya Pradesh BJP president V D Sharma said the woman should not worry given that ensuring the safety of people is the guarantee of PM Modi.
“I was reading in a newspaper this morning about a Muslim sister voting for our party and her relative troubling her. I want to tell her that she shouldn't worry. Ensuring the safety of the people in the country is Modiji's guarantee," he added.
Sharma said due to Modiji's “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, and Sabka Vishwas” mantra, the minority community blessed the BJP in the November 17 elections by voting for the party.
"This shows the vote bank of Congress is drifting,” he added.
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