Indore: An 18-year-old tribal youth died after police fired in the air and fired tear gas shells to control a crowd of protesters at Dongargaon in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district. A police officer gave this information on Thursday. The deceased person has been identified as Bherulal (18). The mob was protesting the death of a 22-year-old tribal woman, who was found dead on Wednesday, allegedly due to electrocution, in Dongargaon village located in Mhow area of the district. Following the woman’s death on Wednesday, her family members along with other members of the tribal community staged a protest by placing the body on the road outside the Dongargaon police post, demanding the handing over of the accused. The protesters also pelted stones at the post and police fired in the air and lobbed tear gas shells to control the situation.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter. Inspector General of Police Rakesh Gupta said, “A complaint was received from the family members that the woman died due to electrocution. Acting on the complaint, the post-mortem of the woman was conducted and a case of murder was registered in the matter.”
Indore, MP | In connection with the death of a 22-year-old woman (in Mhow), a case has been registered under section 302 of the IPC on the complaint of her family. Prima facie the cause of death is electrocution. Accused arrested Rakesh Gupta, IGP pic.twitter.com/aJf1GQpKzN– ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) March 16, 2023
“Soon the accused was taken into custody and he was being interrogated. Meanwhile, a crowd gathered at the police post demanding registration of a complaint. When they were told that a complaint had been registered and the accused arrested has been done, after that some of the miscreants started shouting that they will punish the accused.” Inspector General Gupta said.
“The protestors tried to enter inside the police post to take out the accused. During this they were stopped by the Magistrate officer present on the spot and the protestors also pelted stones at the post. The police resorted to air firing in self-defence and the incident took place in an unfortunate manner. A tribal person died in the incident,” the official said.
He said that magisterial injury was ordered in this case. Earlier, Superintendent of Police (SP, Rural) Bhagwat Singh Virde said, “Kavita, a tribal woman, lived with a man from the Patidar community and the man claimed her to be his wife. Kavita’s family members claimed That the person took Kavita and killed her with electric shock.” He said that while taking action in the matter, a case of murder was registered against the accused and he was arrested.
The accused was at the Dongargaon police post and in the meantime the family members and other people of the tribal community reached here and demonstrated by keeping the dead body. When the dead body was sent from here, the protesters demanded that the accused be recovered. Handed them over,” he said.
SP Virde said, “As soon as the body was released from here, the mob pelted stones, injuring around ten policemen, including Dongargaon station in-charge Bharat Singh. The stone-pelters also suffered injuries.” He also confirmed that a tribal youth, identified as Bherulal (18), died in the incident.
‘Jungle Raj prevails in MP’: Kamal Nath on row over tribal girl’s death
Meanwhile, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and former chief minister CM Kamal Nath said that a team of Congress tribal MLAs, including Kantilal Bhuria, Bala Bachchan, Jhuma Solanki and Pachilal Meda, would probe the incident.
PCC Chief Nath also wrote on Twitter, ‘The murder of a tribal girl after gang-rape in Mhow area of Indore district and the death of a tribal youth in police firing have proved that Jungle Raj prevails in Madhya Pradesh. I am saddened by this heartbreaking incident. And stand with the aggrieved tribal families in this hour of grief.”
I have also constituted an inquiry team consisting of senior tribal MLAs to investigate the incident which has already left for the spot. This incident of gang rape and police firing in Madhya Pradesh, which is at the top in the country in terms of atrocities. The tribals have made the tribals scared. Now there is no hope left from this BJP Govt,” Nath tweeted.