The Madhya Pradesh High Court bans Indore’s controversial ‘Surpanakha Dahan’ event, ruling that burning effigies of accused women is against the Constitution and democratic principles.
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INDORE: The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has banned a controversial Dussehra event that had planned to burn effigies of 11 women accused in various criminal cases. The event, branded as “Surpanakha Dahan”, was being organised by Paurush, a men’s rights group in Indore, claiming to represent victims of wife abuse.
The group had announced the creation of a massive 11-faced effigy, with each face representing a woman accused in cases ranging from domestic murder and fraud to child trafficking and drug peddling. Among the women named were Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya, and Muskan, linked to the infamous “blue drum” murder case in Meerut.
Court’s Intervention
The controversy intensified after Sangeeta Raghuvanshi, the mother of Sonam, filed a petition in the High Court on September 25. She argued that her daughter’s case was still under trial and no court had convicted her, hence publicly burning her effigy would amount to defamation and mental harassment.
The High Court, while banning the event on Saturday, made sharp observations:
“Even if someone faces a criminal case, burning their effigy and publicly tarnishing their image is against the Constitution and the law.”
The court further underlined that such symbolic punishments are “completely unacceptable in a democracy.”
The Raghuvanshi community had strongly opposed the event. Sonam’s brother, Govind Raghuvanshi, initially sympathetic to his brother-in-law’s family, has since shifted stance and is actively pursuing bail for his sister. He also filed a complaint with Indore Collector Shivam Verma, urging authorities to stop the effigy burning.
Paurush’s Stand
Despite the backlash, Ashok Dashora, president of Paurush, defended the idea behind the event, stating:
“If Ravana represented wrongdoing in his time, today’s society must confront modern-day Surpanakhas. Evil has no gender.”
However, following the High Court’s order, he added,
“We respect the judiciary. Now that a ban has been imposed, the effigy will not be burned.”
The group, however, is considering appealing against the single-bench order.
