Dalit youth beaten to death in Madhya Pradesh, 8 held; Opposition targets BJP

The alleged incident occurred due to an old enmity; the deceased's family delayed performing the last rites, claiming the accused were not arrested.

A Dalit community youth was allegedly beaten to death by a group of people over an old enmity in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district, police on Sunday said, adding they have arrested eight persons so far in this connection.

The opposition Congress and as well as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the incident, which took place on Thursday.

The ruling BJP, however, said action was promptly taken in the case and it was fortunate that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his party leaders adopt a selective approach on crimes.

The assembly polls in the state are due this year-end.

The deceased, Nitin Ahirwar aka Lalu, in the age group of 18 to 20 years and a resident of Barodia Nonagir village under Khurai Dehat (rural) police station limits, was beaten up on Thursday following which the police registered a case against nine identified and three-four unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 307 (attempt to murder), Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Uikey said.

The youth died when he was being taken for treatment to a hospital in Sagar, following which IPC section 302 (murder) and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were added, Uikey said.

The ASP said according to police records, the deceased was facing seven cases of extortion, beating and theft.

The alleged incident occurred due to an old enmity and the deceased's family members were initially not performing the last rites, claiming the accused were not arrested, he said.

But, the district collector assured them of help under government schemes, the official said, adding that eight accused have been arrested and search for others is underway.

The family members later performed the last rites of the deceased, he said.

Talking to reporters, the deceased's sister alleged her brother was mercilessly beaten to death as some persons were pressuring her for a compromise in an old case of harassment.

Asked about this, ASP Uikey said the deceased's sister filed a FIR in 2019 against four persons, following which a case on charges of threatening and beating was registered and all the four accused were arrested. The case is sub-judice, he added.

Kharge in a post on X on Sunday morning said a Dalit youth was beaten to death in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh and the "goons" did not even spare his mother.

The prime minister, who is "pretending" to get Sant Ravidas temple built in Sagar, does not even speak on "Dalit and tribal oppression and injustice happening continuously in Madhya Pradesh," he claimed.

Kharge also hit out at the MP chief minister.

"...but the BJP has made Madhya Pradesh a laboratory of Dalit atrocities," Kharge alleged.

The Congress leader claimed the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh has the highest rate of crimes against Dalits, "three times the national average".

"Modi ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi), this time the people of Madhya Pradesh are not going to fall under the trap of BJP, you will get the answer to the agony of the deprived and exploited sections of society after a few months. BJP's departure is certain," he added in the post.

BSP Chief Mayawati in a post on X also hit out at the BJP government over the incident.

MP Congress Chief Kamal Nath also condemned the incident and demanded adequate compensation for the family of the deceased.

Asked about reactions of the opposition leaders on the Sagar incident, MP BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal told PTI that his party-led state government acted promptly in case of every crime occurring under its jurisdiction.

There is rule of law in Madhya Pradesh and action was promptly taken in this case also, he said.

"It is unfortunate that Kharge and his party leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra adopt a selective approach on crimes. They keep silent on atrocities against Dalits in Rajasthan. Do they consider them (such victims) Dalit in Rajasthan?" Agrawal asked.

The Congress governments don't even bother to take action in cases of Dalit atrocities in their respective states, he claimed.