By Siddharth Sarathe

On 17 July 2023, Adnan, a resident of Madhya Pradesh‘s Ujjain, would not have thought that a mere rumour would change his life forever while heading home after closing his soda shop.

Adnan, along with his younger brother and two neighborhood children, went to the balcony of the neighbouring house. At the same time, the Mahakal procession was seen passing on the road. Some people recorded Adnan and his friends, about which Adnan had no idea.

In the evening, police personnel from the nearby Khara Kuan police station arrived and arrested Adnan. It was then that he and his family learned that he had been accused of spitting on the Mahakal procession.

Was Adnan seen spitting on the procession in the video? No. Was there any other evidence to prove that Adnan had spit? No. So, on what basis was he arrested? It was only on the claim of the people who shared the video, who said that they saw Adnan spitting.

The police’s alleged action didn’t stop there. The next day, the administration arrived at Adnan’s house with a DJ and dhol-nagadas and demolished his house with a bulldozer.

This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.