Five people, including three women, have been arrested on charges of public obscenity after they allegedly stripped in a market in Dankaur in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh Nagar, to protest the police’s alleged refusal to register a complaint of robbery.

Sunil Gautam and his family had gone to the police station to inquire about a complaint against the suspect who had allegedly robbed him of his motorcycle and wallet, said the police.

“He demanded that the suspect be arrested immediately. But there are certain procedures which need to be followed and police officials informed him about them. He then staged a protest at the market. When he was asked to leave, he took off his clothes. He even tore off his wife’s and sisters-in-law’s clothes. A police officer was also manhandled by the family. We have video evidence of the incident,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (Gautam Budh Nagar) Kiran S.

Sunil’s family, however, claimed that police refused to lodge a complaint of the “robbery”. Sudesh Gautam, Sunil’s brother, said, “We have been making rounds of the police station since the last three days. We were robbed of our motor bike, money and mobile phone. They threatened us and attempted to kill us. But they ran away with our belongings after they spotted a police van”.

“Police said they can register a complaint only of theft… they refused to lodge a complaint based on our version,” he said.

The police have registered two separate FIRs in the case on charges of obscenity, attempt to murder, rioting and robbery, among others.

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