A video of a Madhya Pradesh cop removing his uniform in front of his superiors and municipal corporation officials after he was allegedly threatened by a BJP leader has surfaced online, igniting political tensions. The incident happened seven months back on February 2 in Kotwali police station of Singrauli district, Madhya Pradesh.

Earlier this year, a dispute broke out between Assistant Sub-Inspector Vinod Mishra and local residents over the construction of a drain in the Kotwali police station area. After the altercation, municipal corporation officials and cops arrived at the scene to resolve the issue, following which, a meeting was held at the police station.

During the meeting, BJP leader Arjun Gupta, husband of a local councilor, allegedly threatened Mr Mishra that he will get his uniform removed. In response, Mr Mishra, seemingly agitated, took off his uniform shirt in front of everyone, including the town inspector and other officials. The entire incident was caught on CCTV. People present at the meeting can be seen trying to calm Mr Mishra down.

Following the incident, disciplinary action was taken against Mr Mishra for his conduct. In a statement after the video went viral on social media recently, Superintendent of Police (SP) Nivedita Gupta clarified that the matter was investigated months ago. “The ASI was reprimanded at the time, and it was found that he had some health issues and a land-related dispute with the councilor,” she said. She has also ordered an investigation into the leaking of CCTV footage after seven months and its circulation on social media.

The viral video has sparked a political storm, with the opposition Congress party latching onto the incident to criticize the ruling BJP. In a post on X, formerly twitter, the Madhya Pradesh Congress said, “This is the misuse of power! See how a BJP councilor’s husband threatened a uniformed police officer, forcing him to remove his uniform. Law and order in the state is at its lowest point, crime is out of control, and the police are either helpless or under political pressure.”