Six police officials have been suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with a mob lynching incident in which a person lost his life and five others were injured, after being thrashed by villagers of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh.
According to police reports, six farmers were injured by a mob amid rumours that a gang of child-lifters was present in the area, reports The Indian Express.
A monetary dispute between the victims, who are all farmers from Ujjain, and labour contractors, led to the altercation.
The farmers had been called to Khadkiya village with a promise to repay the money they had paid in advance for hiring labourers. They had to recover Rs 1.5 lakh of the Rs 2.5 lakh paid to the contractor.
When the farmers reached the village, a dispute ensued and they were pelted with stones. Rumours of a gang of child-lifters in the area started to spread when the farmers were returning back home, towards Borlai, when their vehicles were stopped by a mob of around 200 people.
While one of the occupants of the car managed to escape, the remaining six were assaulted by the mob. One vehicle was also torched by the mob.
Village Surpanch Arrested Amongst Others
“An FIR had been registered against three people and at least 35 others have been identified in the video. The mob has killed one of the farmers and the injured were transported to Indore for medical treatment.”AP Singh, Dhar Superintendent of Police
Aditya Pratap Singh, Dhar SP on Friday, 7 February said that 1 person has died and 5 were injured in the incident. An FIR has been registered under IPC Sec 302: Punishment for murder and 307: Attempt to murder. Four people, including Ramesh-the Sarpanch of Junapani village, have been arrested.
“In the video, Ramesh (Junapani village sarpanch) was seen leading the mob, as per inputs he had gathered the crowd. Others will be identified & arrested too. 5 teams formed to investigate. Investigating all angles.”Aditya Pratap Singh, Superintendent of Police, Dhar
Two farmers told local media channels that they informed the police before entering the village and were assured that there would be no trouble.
Chief Minister Kamal Nath has ordered a probe into the incident, saying strict action would be taken against the accused.
BJP state president Rakesh Singh, meanwhile, said the mob continued to attack the men even after the police reached the spot.
He further added that the law and order situation had deteriorated in Madhya Pradesh since the Congress party came to power.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)