Accused in assault on women cops during Tamnar protests arrested, paraded in public

Raipur: Face smeared black, a garland of slippers hanging around his neck and firecrackers going around him, the man allegedly accused of assaulting and partially stripping a woman police officer in Chhattisgarh's Tamnar region of Raigarh district was paraded through the town on Monday.Male and female police personnel formed a ring around the accused, forcing him to shout slogans such as "Police hamari baap hai, vardi phaadna paap hai". He was paraded from Raigarh's Hemu Kalani Chowk to the court. At one point, officers made him do sit-ups on the road while bystanders recorded videos and police busted crackers.Police said Chitraseen Sao, identified as the main accused in the assault and humiliation of the woman constable and the attack on inspector Kamla Pusham, was arrested on Monday after days of intensive searches. With his arrest, six accused have now been arrested and were identified as Mangal Rathiya, Chinesh Khamari, Premsingh Rathiya, Kirti Srivas (all from Aamgaon), Vanmali Rathiya (Jharna) and Chitraseen Sao. One more suspect remains at large.The dramatic procession came days after a violent protest against the Gare Pelma Sector-1 coal project in Tamnar block, where a mob assaulted police personnel including the local woman police inspector and another woman constable who was partially disrobed, an incident captured in disturbing videos that triggered widespread outrage among the police force.The clashes stem from a Dec 8 public hearing on the proposed Gare Pelma Sector-1 coal block. Opposing the project, residents of 14 affected villages launched an economic blockade at Libra village from Dec 12, halting coal movement and traffic.On Dec 27, around 9 am, villagers gathered at Libra Chowk and blocked the highway. Protesters broke police barricades, hurled stones and attacked officers with sticks. Videos later showed Inspector Kamla Pusham being kicked and punched by women protesters.One of the most distressing videos showed a woman constable crying and pleading, addressing the attackers as "brother" and asking to be released. A male voice is heard threatening: "Shall I hit you with my slipper? Run from here."Another viral clip shows a protester pulling at her clothes as she screams for help.Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Deepak Baij had strongly condemned the assault, calling it a "shameful incident that has shaken humanity."With more than 4,000 villagers participating, protesters demanded that the coal block's public hearing be withdrawn. The Jindal company eventually announced it would not conduct the hearing "for now".After the violence, Tamnar police registered an FIR with multiple IPC sections for rioting, assault on public servants, arson, outraging modesty and provisions of the IT Act related to circulation of objectionable videos. Searches were launched across villages to trace the accused.Earlier, on January 2, two accused, Mangal Rathiya and Chinesh Khamari, were brought to the district jail, where a group of women constables had demanded a public march of the arrested. Senior officers had intervened and prevented it then.