BHOPAL: A 27-year-old Scheduled Caste (SC) man was allegedly beaten to death by at least five individuals, including the village sarpanch and the sarpanch’s wife, over a dispute regarding filling water from a borewell in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh.
The shocking incident occurred in Indergarh village, under the Subhashpura police station area in the Gwalior-Chambal region of the state.
The Dalit youth, identified as Narad Jatav, who hailed from Gwalior district, was watering his maternal uncle's fields in Indergarh village on Tuesday when he was allegedly attacked by village sarpanch Padam Singh Dhakad, the sarpanch’s wife Dakha Bai, and their aides.
A purported video of the brutal attack, which has gone viral, shows a group of men mercilessly assaulting Narad Jatav with sticks and rubber pipes, while others, including women, look on during the attack.
According to Shivpuri district police sources, there had been an ongoing dispute between the two sides the OBC Dhakad caste and the SC Jatav caste over the borewell.
A murder case, along with charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, has been registered against the eight accused. Four of them, including the village sarpanch, have been arrested.
Meanwhile, taking note of the incident, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, who is currently on an investment promotion tour in Europe, has instructed strict action against the accused. The Chief Minister also directed that financial assistance of four lakh rupees be provided from the Chief Minister's Discretionary Fund to the family of the deceased, Narad Jatav. Additionally, the minister in charge of Shivpuri district, Pradyuman Singh Tomar, has been instructed to visit the spot and meet with the victim's family.