BJP leader Sonali Phogat was arrested by the Haryana Police on Wednesday, in connection with the incident of thrashing a market committee employee with a slipper earlier this month. The TikTok star-turned-BJP politician was arrested from her residence in Hisar and was produced in a local court which granted her bail.
Hisar Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia told THE WEEK that Phogat was booked under Sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 332 (hurting public servant to deter him from duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duties) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, following a complaint filed by Hisar market committee secretary Sultan Singh.
Phogat, who has unsuccessfully contested assembly elections from Adamapur against Congress's Kuldeep Bishnoi, courted controversy after a video of her slapping Sultan Singh went viral. She had claimed that he misbehaved with her. Following the incident, Khaps and the Congress sought action against her.
Alleging that Sultan Singh had misbehaved with her, the BJP leader had lodged a counter-FIR against him under sections 354 (outraging modesty of woman) and 509 (act intended to insult the modesty of woman) of the IPC.
“I did what any self respecting woman would do when eve teased. It is shameful how a woman is cornered when she tries to protect her modesty,” she had said in a video released on social media, justifying her actions.
