Cops fire teargas shells to control mob seeking demolition of assault case accused's home in MP

Guna: A mob pelted stones at a team of cops and civic staffers demanding demolition of the house of a man accused of assaulting a woman and her husband over a land dispute in a village in Guna district on Tuesday, prompting law enforcement personnel to fire teargas shells to disperse protesters, police said.

A few policemen and civic officials suffered minor injuries and a fire brigade vehicle was also damaged in the stone pelting at Vishnupura village under Fatehgarh police station limits, they said.

When civic staff went to pull down "illegal" shops of one Rafiq Khan on directives of village panchayat officials, a large crowd comprising local residents and other individuals demanded that his house, too, be razed and later pelted stones at policemen and members of the demolition squad, the police said.

Rafiq Khan is accused of assaulting an elderly woman and her husband along with his relatives on Monday. He and two other family members, including his father, were later arrested.

Cops fired teargas shells and used force to control the violent mob and bring the situation under control, they said.

A team of cops and officials led by Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Vivek Asthana reached Vishnupura to clear illegal structures built by the accused.

Rafiq Khan had constructed two shops on a piece of government land which the administration demolished, Guna's acting Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vikas Anand told reporters.

Tension prevailed briefly in the village when people demanded the demolition of Rafiq Khan's house, too, Anand said, adding the situation was now under control.

A sub-inspector in-charge of the Fatehgarh police station, Kripal Singh Parihar, was 'line attached' (removed from field duties) after the incident, Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Sinha said.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal activists also reached the village and gathered in strength outside the Fatehgarh police station, demanding the removal of illegal structures built by the assault case accused, another police official said.

They also insisted on the demolition of Rafiq Khan's house, which the administration refused, saying it has been legally constructed, leading to tension in the village, said the official.

Cops are identifying stone pelters and will take action against them after registering a case, he added.

A dispute arose in Vishnupura over removal of the boundary wall from a government land on Monday by an elderly woman, her husband and their nephew, claiming the vacant plot belongs to them. A rival group of villagers led by Rafiq Khan also laid claim on the land.

During heated arguments, Rafiq Khan and his relatives beat up the elderly woman and her husband, an incident which was recorded and circulated on social media. Both sides registered cross-FIRs in connection with the incident, said the official.

In a video which has gone viral, the woman can be seen falling on the road while a man puts his knee on her and slaps her, while the elderly man is assaulted with sticks.

"Farid Khan, father of Rafiq Khan, claimed the vacant land in question belongs to the government, but he had been using it for the last 35 years to keep goods as well as his domestic animals. The other group says the land belongs to him.

"Both sides have accused each other of assault. Acting on a complaint of Rafiq Khan, an FIR was registered against the elderly woman, her husband and their nephew. On the basis of the second complaint, a case was registered against Farid Khan, his son Rafiq and grandson Raju," the official added.

Farid Khan, his son and grandson were later arrested, he added.