BHOPAL: At least 15 tribal men, mostly from the Kol tribe who had been working with a private company in Gujarat's Rajkot, had been tortured beyond imagination over an alleged theft.
The incident that happened on August 4, came to light recently after the tribal men from Madhya Pradesh's Anuppur returned home bearing severe injuries and evidence of torture.
The tribal men have alleged that they were held captive and thrashed unimaginably by the private company’s staffers over the alleged theft of copper scrap.
The victims identified as Santlal, Mukesh, Shivam and Prem Lal were first interrogated by a staffer, who allegedly pinned the crime on them without any evidence.
The men alleged that their employer then snatched their Aadhar cards and cell phones and held them captive in a room, where they were beaten mercilessly. One of the victims managed to get in touch with a relative, who alerted the police.
It is said that both parties reportedly struck a compromise in the matter on August 5, after which the men were sent back home by train. Meanwhile, the videos and photos of the tribal men with injury marks on their bodies went viral on Socials on Tuesday.
In one of the videos, the victims were seen travelling in a train, where one of them sought MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan's intervention in the matter.
Meanwhile, the state Congress president Kamal Nath raised the issue of the alleged torture of the tribal men. He also raised the matter pertaining to the alleged gang rape of two minor tribal girls by seven men in the Hanumana area of MP’s Rewa district. Five of those gang rape accused men have been arrested so far.
“These two recent incidents have once again exposed Shivraj Singh Chouhan government’s inability to protect the tribals in the state, " He said.
ADG-Shahdol Range, DC Sagar said a zero FIR was registered against three persons, Faqruddin, Dhaval and Dipak under sections 294, 323, 506 and 34 IPC and provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He also said the case has been transferred to Rajkot police station in Gujarat.