This is an archive article published on June 16, 2023
Bajrang Dal members lathi-charged in Indore, DCP transferred soon after
Bajrang Dal members meanwhile warned that all police officers involved in the incident be suspended or they will take out state-wide marches against the government.
The local police asked them to leave the area, but the members of the outfit were adamant on meeting the Indore police commissioner and handing him a memorandum. (Screengrab from video)
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Bajrang Dal members lathi-charged in Indore, DCP transferred soon after
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A lathicharge on Bajrang Dal workers by the Indore city police has prompted an intervention by state home minister Narottam Mishra, who ordered a probe into the incident followed by the transfer of the DCP and station in-charge.
For over two months, the Bajrang Dal has been taking out a nasha mukhti abhiyan in Indore over “growing incidents of drug abuse among the youth”. The outfit’s members had on June 14 taken out a 21-km bike rally.
On Thursday evening, several members from the outfit sat on protest at Palasiya police station area demanding the withdrawal of an FIR registered against their members, claiming they had been trapped in “a false case foisted on them by members of the drug trade”.
The local police asked them to leave the area, but the members of the outfit were adamant on meeting the Indore police commissioner and handing him a memorandum.
“We tried to reason with them but they did a chakka jam, which created law and order problems. They did not make any written demands from us. We tried to explain to them that they should not block traffic. Then, stone pelting began in the area, so force was used. Some of our own policemen were also injured,” said a senior police officer.
Indore Police Commissioner Makrand Deoskar said an FIR was registered against unknown persons under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the IPC at Palasiya Police station.
“A total of four police officers and 11 Bajrang Dal members have been injured,” Deoskar said.
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Mishra said he has deputed an ADG-rank officer to investigate the matter. “Taking cognizance of what the police have done, we have deputed an ADG-rank officer from Bhopal to visit the spot and investigate the matter. The thana in-charge has been line attached,” Mishra said.
Bajrang Dal members meanwhile warned that all police officers involved in the incident be suspended or they will take out state-wide marches against the government.
Tannu Sharma, who headed the Bajrang Dal anti-drug rallies, told The Indian Express, “I was part of the protest. It was peaceful and they beat us like animals. This government is ours and our ideology matches, but they have stayed away and we will put them in place if all officers are not suspended and cases against our workers scrapped.”
The Congress meanwhile attacked the state government, calling its action against the drug trade an eyewash.
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Party spokesperson K K Mishra said, “The BJP government called Bajrang Dal nationalists when we tried to ban them in Karnataka. How did they become gundas overnight? The Bajrang Dal was protesting against the drug trade. For 18 years, who has been in power? Who is distributing drugs?”
An analysis of the total number of opium act cases registered in 57 police stations in the state shows that Indore tops the list with 512 cases registered till April this year out of the total 1,220 cases registered in the state.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
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