Noted Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Sunday landed in a soup after he asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath if he had the guts to name UP Police's 'anti-Romeo' squads as "AntiKrishna squads" since "Krishna was a legendary eve teaser."
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government in UP has formed squads to crackdown on sexual harassment in the state and teams carrying out random checks have been named as "anti-Romeo" squads. There have been allegations that these teams indulge in moral policing in the name of curbing eve-teasing and trouble youngsters.
Bhushan's tweet was in response to a post by Swaraj India spokesperson Anupam, who wrote on his Twitter, "Anti Romeo Squad: India's tribute to Shakespeare! Won't b surprised if England, to fight eveteasing, forms Anti Krishna Squad in retaliation!"
Prashant Bhushan then posted, "Romeo loved just one lady, while Krishna was a legendary Eve teaser. Would Adityanath have the guts to call his vigilantes AntiKrishna squads?"
The Swaraj Abhiyan co-founder, however, later clarified and said his tweet was "being distorted."
"My tweet on Romeo brigade being distorted. My position is: By the logic of Romeo Brigade, even Lord Krishna would look like eve teaser. We have grown up with legends of young Krishna teasing Gopis.The logic of Romeo squad would criminalise this.Didnt intend to hunt sentiments," he said.
BJP files complaint against Prashant Bhushan
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chided Bhushan for his remark and later filed a police complaint "for insulting Lord Krishna."
"Filing A police complaint today against Prashant Bhushan for insulting Lord Krishna," Delhi BJP spokesperson Tejinder Bagga said and also shared the copy of police complaint on Twitter.
Speaking to ANI, Bagga said it is Bhushan's habit to make these kinds of statements for cheap publicity.
Bagga has alleged in his police complaint that Bhushan has hurt religious sentiments while seeking a probe in this regard.
The "anti-Romeo" squads, formed after Yogi Adityanath became UP CM, has been accused of high-handedness in handling eve-teasing cases and also indulge in moral policing.
Three policemen were recently suspended after a video of some persons shaving the head of a youth, who was roaming with a female friend, in their presence went viral on social media.
The incident took place on March 22 after the residents of South City Colony in Shahjahanpur called police on finding a youth and a girl roaming around together.
