Representative image | Photo Credit: Indiatimes

Jabalpur: A 19-year-old woman in Madhya Pradesh attempted suicide after a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader and a few other men allegedly abused and publicly humiliated her father, the videos of which went viral on social media. The college student had consumed the poison on Saturday and was admitted in a local hospital in Jabalpur where she is undergoing treatment, Hindustan Times reported.

As per the girl's statement recorded by the police, Jabalpur's BJP minority cell city unit president Mohammad Shafi alias Heera had harassed her father, the daily reported. The purported clips of the incident went viral on social media, in which Shafi allegedly "punished" the 48-year-old man by forcing him to bend down with a bottle of water on his back. Shafi is said to have shot at least three videos of the incident which were then circulated on WhatsApp, news reports suggested. The girl also told the police that many of her friends had seen the viral video, Hindustan Times reported.

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The girl's mother told a news portal that she took the extreme step after she was the videos in her college. Distressed over the situation, the girl returned home and consumed a "poisonous substance", the mother said. "We want the police to arrest these men and take strict action," she added.

On the other hand, Shafi reportedly told Hindustan Times that the incident did not involve any harassment as he and his associates were merely playing a prank on a fellow Muslim. Shafi told the daily that some of his men had placed a bet with the girl's father that he would not be able to pick up Rs. 100 with his mouth while in a "murga" position. However, he added that he soon chided his men and asked them to end the matter. "The video has been made viral by Congressmen who are rattled by the fact the many Muslims are leaving their party and joining the BJP. This is political vendetta,” he reportedly asserted.

Significantly, the father of the girl narrated a different version of the incident to the Hindustan Times, stating that Shafi was angry with him as he had reprimanded the BJP leader's brother for smoking inside the house. “I had chided Shafi’s brother for smoking in my house. It annoyed him and he took away my mobile phone. I had gone to their godown to get it back. There Shafi and his men roughed me up and also humiliated me,” he told the daily.

On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's (BJYM) vice president and BJP spokesperson Rahul Kothari told a news portal that the party would investigate the matter and take necessary action against the local leader. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson KK Mishra has demanded strict action against the BJP leader.

The police, meanwhile, have taken the girl's statement and are probing the case, the daily reported.