Pritam Lodhi, a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has threatened to cover the home of Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ayush Jhakar with cow dung, escalating his ongoing outburst over action taken against his son, Dinesh, who allegedly ran over five people with his sport utility vehicle in Karera, Madhya Pradesh.
A video featuring Lodhi’s latest comments went viral on social media on Tuesday. The IPS Association denounced the statements, and the opposition Congress called for action against him.
On Thursday, a video allegedly showed Dinesh blaming the five accident victims, asserting that they failed to respond to his honking and sirens. Two days later, Lodhi launched a sharp attack on Jhakar after he called in Dinesh and cautioned him against returning to Karera. “Does Karera belong to your [Jhakar] father?” Lodhi said. “My son will go to Karera and contest the elections. If your father has the courage, try to stop him. You should know our background.” This came from Lodhi, who had initially seemed to side with public sentiment by calling for action against his son.
In a later video, Lodhi confronted Jhakar and other police officers, demanding to know who in Delhi was issuing their orders. He said, “Earlier, my hand weighed 2.5 kg, but now it weighs 250 kg. If they do not explain within 15 days who in Delhi is directing them—whether it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, or someone else—I will lead 10,000 people to SDPO Jhakar’s house and fill it with cow dung.”
Lodhi argued it was a minor accident, and the police exaggerated it. He accused police of adopting a heavy-handed approach.
IPS Association president Chanchal Shekhar denounced Lodhi’s comments, pointing out that his viral video included derogatory, inappropriate, and caste-based remarks directed at Jhakar. He stated that Lodhi’s conduct is highly reprehensible and incompatible with the dignity of public service, adding that such behaviour demoralises officers and breaches democratic principles.
Shekhar stated that the association expects public officials to speak in a measured and dignified manner. He said that caste-based or any other form of insulting comments directed at an officer are unacceptable and contradict democratic principles. He called for suitable action to be taken.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari criticised the BJP, alleging that a legislator’s son was trampling on the very people who have supported the ruling party for the last 20 years. He pointed out that Lodhi was openly confronting police officers. Patwari further said that the BJP’s real methods, nature, and image have now been revealed to the public. He called for action to be taken against Lodhi for issuing threats to Jhakar.
BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said, “We believe in the rule of law. At the same time, we expect both officers and public representatives to uphold morale while speaking and acting publicly.”