Dalit teenager in MP beaten to death by men accused by his sister of harassment

Sagar Additional Superintendent of Police Lokesh Kumar said an FIR was registered under section 302 (murder) of the IPC. “A search for the accused is underway. A few of the accused have been taken into custody and further action is being taken,” he said.

Six people have been arrested so far, while several others are absconding.

According to police, the victim’s sister had in 2019 filed a sexual harassment case against some of the accused, who turned up at the victim’s house on Thursday and urged her and her mother to withdraw the case.

When they did not relent, the accused left the house and then found the 18-year-old near a bus stand. They allegedly confronted him and began assaulting him with sticks, police said.

The mother and the sister ran to the bus stand and pleaded with the assailants to stop, but they continued the assault, the family said.

“My brother was told to compromise on the case, but he refused. They then caught hold of him and beat him to death,” said the victim’s brother.

“The accused persons, who are all upper caste, had sexually harassed my sister. They come from a family of former sarpanches,” he said.

After assaulting the victim, the accused returned to his family’s home, damaged the roof and some portions of a wall, and also ransacked the house, police said.

Following the incident, the Opposition Congress party constituted a team that went to the area and demanded compensation for the family. The ruling BJP accused the Congress of playing caste politics.

Former chief minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath said his party would “fight for justice and for strict action against those responsible for this tragic incident”. There is an “atmosphere of fear and intimidation created by certain elements associated with the ruling party”, he said. He also demanded immediate action against the accused and urged Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to ensure a thorough investigation.

The Congress also called for “financial assistance of Rs 1 crore to the victim’s family and a government job for a family member”. Former CM Digvijaya Singh of the Congress is expected to visit the family on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

The BJP said the state government was following the “principles of law and order” and that the Congress was trying to divide people on the basis of caste. “They have been taking up issues of Dalits and Adivasis, but have been doing this for political gains. Action is being taken against the accused and none of the accused will be spared,” party spokesperson Narendra Saluja said.

Another BJP spokesperson, Hitesh Bajpai, said: “The Congress is playing politics in each and every criminal event. They just want to politicise every matter, which is not fair. The BJP has zero tolerance for any kind of crime.”