Overview
- Damoh officials said Anuj (Annu) Pandey and an accomplice have been arrested, with searches ongoing for additional suspects named in the case.
- Police registered an FIR after a video showed Purushottam Kushwaha, an OBC youth, washing a Brahmin man's feet and apologising, and the panchayat imposing a ₹5,100 fine.
- Reports vary on how many people were booked, with some accounts citing four named individuals and others noting six accused including unidentified persons.
- Investigators are examining whether AI or other digital tools were used to defame the man depicted in the deleted Instagram image showing a shoe-garland.
- Authorities have stepped up patrolling and community outreach as conflicting narratives emerge, including a claim the act was voluntary under a 'guru–shishya' relationship that officials dispute.