Unidentified man, woman torch Ravana effigy in Bhopal, flee in car; cops register FIR

Bhopal, Oct 2 (PTI) Two unidentified persons set ablaze an effigy of Ravana in Bagh Mugalia-Ashima Mall area of Bhopal on Thursday and fled, officials said.

A video of the effigy going up in flames went viral on social media. In it, a person can be heard claiming that a man and woman, allegedly drunk, set the effigy ablaze at around 6am and then fled in a red car without a registration plate.

He claimed the duo was roaming in the area for a long time.

A complaint was submitted at Misrod police station by Pandit Atal Bihari Vajpayee Utsav Samiti president Aditya Ram Dube following which an FIR against unidentified persons under section 299 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rajnish Kashyap told PTI.

The section deals with deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings.

The act has hurt the religious feelings of the devotees, Dube said in his complaint.

Efforts are on to nab those behind the incident, the ACP said.

Effigies of Ravana are set on fire as part of the traditions of Dussehra to mark the victory of good over evil. PTI MAS BNM