Police in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district on Tuesday registered a case after a video showing a man urinating on a tribal youth went viral.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, late in the evening, that the government will ensure "sternest possible punishment" for the accused to make an example of him.
"We will not spare him (culprit) at any cost,” he said.
When asked whether the accused belongs to the BJP as alleged from some quarters, Chouhan said, “Criminals have no caste, religion and party. A criminal is just a criminal. He will not be spared.”
“I strongly condemn it. It is not only unfortunate but such persons will be given sternest punishment,” state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma said.
When asked whether the accused is an MLAs representative, Sharma said such persons are not of any party.
When specifically asked whether he was removed from the party, Sharma said, “Bilkul (absolutely)."
Both Chouhan and Sharma were talking to reporters after the BJP's core committee meeting.
Earlier, the Opposition Congress claimed that the accused was linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party, but the ruling party had denied the allegation.
"A viral video from Sidhi district has come to my notice....I have instructed the administration to arrest the culprit and take the strictest action and also invoke the National Security Act," Chouhan said in a tweet in the evening.
An official from the Chief Minister's Office said a case was registered against the accused, identified as Pravesh Shukla, at Bahari police station under Indian Penal Code sections 294 (obscene acts), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Action against the stringent NSA was also initiated, he added.
State Congress chief Kamal Nath in a statement said, "A video of atrocity of (a man) urinating on a tribal youth from Sidhi district of the state has surfaced. There is no place for such a heinous act with the youth of the tribal community in civilised society."
The former chief minister also said that the culprit was said to be associated with the BJP. Madhya Pradesh already ranks first when it comes to atrocities against tribals, he said.
"This incident has put entire Madhya Pradesh to shame....strictest punishment should be given to the guilty person and atrocities on tribals in Madhya Pradesh should be stopped," Nath added.
State BJP media in-charge Ashish Agarwal said the accused was not associated with the party.
"The BJP will always oppose every heinous act against the tribal community. MP BJP demands the strictest action against this person," Agarwal said.
Both the BJP and Congress have been trying to woo the tribal community in the state ahead of the year-end Assembly elections.
Some social media posts claimed that the accused Pravesh Shukla was a representative of BJP MLA from Sidhi Kedarnath Shukla.
But when contacted, the MLA denied the allegation.
"I do not know if the victim is a tribal or not, but strict action should be taken against the accused. The accused is not my representative," Kedarnath Shukla told PTI.
He can have only three representatives -- in the district panchayat, Janpad and local municipal council -- and the accused was none of them and not related to him, the MLA added.
Pawan Khera, chairman of the Congress's Media and Publicity Department, shared the video clip along with a picture of a banner on which the accused was described as 'Vidhayak Pratinidhi Sidhi'.
"In the 21st century, such inhuman atrocities are happening with the tribals of our country and we are dreaming of becoming Vishwaguru! What could be more embarrassing for all of us than this? he tweeted.
