By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: Protests intensified in the state capital on Saturday as hundreds of GEN-Z youths gathered outside Barkatullah University (BU) to condemn the allegedly derogatory remark made by IAS officer Santosh Verma about a Brahmin community girl. The demonstration, led by Pandit Ashish Sharma, saw dramatic scenes as protesters paraded an effigy of Verma mounted on a donkey through the streets before beating it with shoes and slippers, and eventually setting it ablaze as a symbolic act of dissent.
Leading the protest, Sharma said the issue concerned not merely one community but the dignity of “all daughters of Madhya Pradesh”. He demanded the immediate registration of an FIR and suspension of the officer, calling the remark unacceptable for someone holding a senior administrative position.
Addressing the crowd, Congress spokesperson Vivek Tripathi criticised the ruling BJP, alleging that its Brahmin leaders had chosen to remain silent. “There is widespread anger among the upper-caste community over Verma’s statement, yet BJP’s Brahmin leaders have not uttered a word. Has their conscience died? When the honour of daughters is under attack, why are they not on the streets? Such a mindset cannot be tolerated in the state,” he said.
Sharma further warned that if swift action was not taken, GEN-Z supporters would escalate their agitation. “Today we have beaten his effigy. If the government does not suspend Verma and file an FIR soon, we will drag him out of his house and parade him on a donkey across Madhya Pradesh,” he declared.
Protesters including Abhishek Dwivedi, Lucky Chaubey, Akshay Tomar, Ravi Parmar, Pratik Yadav, Ankit Sharma, Adit Tripathi, Sahil Pratap Singh, Amit Bubde and hundreds of youths from the upper-caste community vowed to continue the agitation until legal action is initiated against the officer.
