Five out of the eight accused of allegedly thrashing and killing a tribal man in Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch district, have been arrested, said the MP police, on Monday, 30 September.
"A fast track court trial will be sought for immediate punishment to culprits," said Suraj Verma, Superintendent of Police (SP), Neemuch, to news agency ANI.
"The remaining accused will be arrested soon," he added.
On Thursday, 26 August, a 40-year-old tribal man in Neemuch died after he was allegedly thrashed by eight people, tied to a vehicle, and dragged along the road by a vehicle.
The victim identified as Kanhaiyalal Bheel succumbed during treatment on Friday.
A five-member team of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, headed by former state Congress President Kantilal Bhuria, will visit Neemuch district to meet his family, news agency ANI reported.
Initial reports claimed that he was beaten up on suspicions of theft, however, the incident occurred a day after Bheel and Chhitar Mal Gurjar, a milkman, got involved in a minor road accident.
Quoting Superintendent of Police Suraj Kumar Verma, PTI reported, “Chhitar Mal Gurjar, a milkman, was riding a motorcycle which knocked down the victim Kanhaiyalal Bheel of Banda village when he was standing on the Neemuch-Singoli road, some 84 km from the Neemuch district headquarter.”
But Gurjar reportedly got angry after the milk was spilt on the road due to the accident and thrashed Bheel.
Following that, he called his friends who came and beat up the victim once again and tied him to the rear side of a vehicle by a rope.
A video that surfaced online purportedly showed Bheel being dragged on the road by the vehicle even as he folded his hands in front of the accused.
“After a video of the incident became viral, the police swung into action but by then, the accused had fled. The victim was rushed to the district hospital where he died on Friday,” SP Verma was quoted as saying.
A total of eight people have been booked in this matter, Sundar Singh Kanesh, Additional SP, Neemuch told news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, five people identified as Chhitarmal Gurjar (32), Mahendra Gurjar and Gopal Gurjar (both 40), Lokesh Balai (21), and Laxman Gurjar have been arrested.
They have all been charged under Section 302 (Punishment for murder) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act. The police is still looking for the remaining accused.
Kamal Nath, Mayawati React to Incident
Reacting to the incident, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath wrote on Twitter, "What is happening in Madhya Pradesh? Now a very inhuman incident has come to light from Neemuch district, where a tribal person named Kanhaiyalal Bhil was thrashed badly on suspicion of theft. He was tied to a vehicle and dragged mercilessly, leading to his death?"
Referring to the other incidents of atrocities, he said, "The incident of Indore, Dewas in Madhya Pradesh and now Mahidpur in Ujjain…? Who are these people, who are continuously carrying out such incidents, some people are working to spoil the culture of brotherhood? It seems that all this is being done with a specific agenda?"
"Is the government watching everything as a mute spectator? There is an atmosphere of anarchy in the entire state, the law is being mocked?" he asked on Twitter.
BSP leader Mayawati also condemned the incident demanding strict punishment for the perpetrators.
This distressing incident comes on the heels of several cases of atrocities against minorities being reported from the state.
On 22 August, a Muslim man was assaulted in Indore for selling bangles in a 'Hindu area'. In a viral video, several men can be seen threatening and slapping the victim repeatedly. But the police reportedly filed an FIR only after the victim filed it.
On 26 August, a 45-year-old Muslim hawker was allegedly thrashed by two men in Dewas district for not showing his Aadhaar card to prove his identity when asked.
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