BHOPAL: A day after a mob attacked six farmers, killing one of them and injuring the five others over rumours of them being indulgent in child lifting in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, ongoing police investigations have revealed that a BJP worker-village sarpanch had allegedly led the mob in the attack.
Four men, including alleged BJP worker Ramesh (sarpanch of Junapani village) were arrested by police on Thursday, but the three men, including Avtar Singh, Bhuvan Singh and Jam Singh, who had actually masterminded the series of incidents that led to mob attack, are yet to be arrested by Dhar district police.
According to Dhar district police superintendent Aditya Pratap Singh, “Four men have so far been arrested. The arrested foursome, include Ramesh, the sarpanch of Junapani village. Investigations based on the video footage of the mob attack have revealed that Ramesh had led the mob in Borlai village to attack the six farmers following rumours of them escaping after child lifting. Besides the three men, who had actually masterminded the series of incidents (they are yet to be arrested), the police have also identified 10-15 others, including the four men who have been arrested.”
Also, keeping in mind the seriousness of the entire episode as well as statements of victims who alleged that cops reached the spot late, the Manawar police station in-charge and five other cops have been suspended. Besides, an SIT headed by the additional SP has been constituted to probe the entire mob attack and related aspects. “The accused have been booked for murder, attempt to murder and rioting,” the SP Dhar said.
Meanwhile, the arrest of the alleged BJP worker and Junapani village sarpanch Ramesh in the case gave the ruling Congress ammo to target the opposition BJP. While tweeting an old picture of ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan with arrested village sarpanch, Congress leader Narendra Saluja (who is also CM Kamal Nath’s media convener) wrote, “BJP leaders denying any role of BJP worker/leader in the mob lynching need to see this picture.”
Saluja also claimed that the arrested BJP man was in the race for getting the BJP ticket from Gandhwani seat of Dhar district in 2018 assembly polls.
Importantly, the ex-CM and BJP national vice president Shivraj Singh Chouhan, had on Wednesday termed the mob attack as an example of how the state was turning into a Talibani state under Congress rule.
Reacting to the Congress targeting BJP over their party worker’s arrest, state BJP president Rakesh Singh said, “The Congress is alleging BJP worker’s hand in the incident to play down the seriousness of the matter. Its immaterial who is the accused, the law should take its own course and a high level probe needs to be instituted in the matter,” said Singh.
Importantly, six wealthy farmers from Ujjain and Indore district had gone to Khirkiya village in adjoining Dhar district to recover outstanding Rs 1.5 lakh from three labour contractors on Wednesday. Once in the village, the two cars boarded by the six farmers were attacked by the labour contractors and aides.
The farmers fled in their two vehicles, but got stuck in traffic jam in Borlai village (30 km from Khirkiya). The labour contractors who were chasing the six farmers reached Borlai and spread the rumour that the six farmers were fleeing after lifting a child.
Provoked by the rumour, a mob of villagers subsequently pulled the farmers out and attacked them with stones, sticks and rods, killing one of the farmers and critically hurting the five others