Bhopal, July 7 (NationPress) The Opposition Congress is set to organize a protest against an FIR filed against the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit head Jitu Patwari in the Ashoknagar district.

The state Congress has dubbed the upcoming protest 'Nyay ki Ladai' (fight for justice), which is scheduled to start after 11 am on Tuesday. During this event, a large gathering of party leaders and workers is expected at the Ashoknagar SP's office.

Numerous senior leaders, including former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, former Union Minister Kantilal Bhuria, and former state Congress president Arun Yadav, alongside thousands of party leaders from across the state, have already arrived in Ashoknagar.

In the hours leading up to the protest, Congress initiated a campaign on social media platforms, urging party leaders and workers to participate in the Ashoknagar demonstration.

The opposition has also called upon the general public to lend their support to Congress's movement.

"Congress workers will 'gherao' the Ashoknagar SP office to contest a fabricated FIR against PCC head Jitu Patwari. A social media campaign has been launched to encourage party workers, as well as the general populace, to back the Congress's ‘Nyay ki Ladai’,” stated Congress spokesperson Mithun Ahirwar in remarks to IANS.

Additionally, several residences of Congress members and leaders, along with areas of Ashoknagar, have transformed into party offices. Posters have been displayed with the slogan 'mera ghar Congress ka ghar' to invite party workers from various regions to join the protest.

It is noteworthy that the FIR against state Congress president Jitu Patwari was registered at the Mungaoli police station in the Ashoknagar district on June 29, following a viral video in which a youth named Raghuraj Lodhi alleged that the village Sarpanch and his son assaulted his brother Gajraj Lodhi and forced him to consume human excrement.

In light of this video, Jitu Patwari raised concerns regarding the law-and-order situation in the state, claiming that Dalits were being systematically targeted by the BJP government.

He also reached out to the Ashoknagar district collector and SP, demanding action against the offenders. However, on Friday, Gajraj Lodhi (the alleged victim) submitted an affidavit to the Ashoknagar district collector, stating that Jitu Patwari had misled him into believing he had been forced to eat excrement.

This led to the registration of an FIR against Jitu Patwari, who was charged under Sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 196(1)(a) (promoting enmity), 197(1)(c) (assertion causing disharmony), 229(2) (fabricating false evidence), 237 (false declarations), and 353(1)(c) (mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Previously, several senior BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP chief V. D. Sharma, and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, have expressed their criticism of Jitu Patwari, accusing the Congress of attempting to disrupt the state’s atmosphere with falsehoods.