Dalit man killed, mother stripped over sister's assault case
What's the story
A Dalit man was reportedly beaten to death by a mob and his mother was stripped in the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh after they refused to withdraw a sexual harassment case filed by his sister in 2019.
The attack on the Dalit family took place on Thursday night in the district's Barodia Naungar village, according to the news outlet The Indian Express.
Details
Know about victim, prime accused in case
The main accused, Vikram Singh, reportedly stormed into the house of victim Nitin Ahirwar with a group of men on Thursday.
They tried to intimidate him into withdrawing the complaint filed by his sister against Singh and his kin for allegedly harassing her.
When the 20-year-old victim refused to take back the case, they attacked him with sticks and rods.
Per reports, the sister was beaten up, too.
More details
They thrashed Ahirwar a lot: Victim's mother
When Ahirwar's mother allegedly tried to rescue him, the attackers stripped her and thrashed her, too.
"They thrashed him (Ahirwar) a lot. He couldn't survive. I was stripped. Then the cops arrived, and I was handed a towel. I stood there in a towel until they got me a saree," Ahirwar's mother told NDTV.
"None of the household items are left intact," she added.
Insights
Police register murder case against attackers
Speaking to India Today, Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Uike confirmed that nine accused have been arrested.
He added that a murder case has been registered against them under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 307.
"After the death of the victim at the hospital, Section 302 and the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Act were also applied," he further said, adding that some of the accused are still at large.
Information
Victim's sister reveals attackers threatened to rape her
The victim's sister, recounting the attack, said, "I pleaded with them (the attackers) to leave them (her mother and brother)." "However, they threatened to rape me. I ran into a jungle and called the police for help," she added. As per NDTV, Ahirwar's family performed his last rites after receiving assurances from the district collector of assistance under government schemes and being informed about the arrests.
Facts
Political leaders condemn attack, criticize MP government
The incident has sparked outrage, with political leaders condemning the attack and calling out the state government's failure to curb such attacks against marginalized communities.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the incident and attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government over it.
"BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh has the highest rate of crimes against Dalits, three times the national average," he tweeted on Sunday.
Twitter Post
Check out Kharge's post on X here
मध्य प्रदेश के सागर ज़िले में एक दलित युवक की पीट-पीट कर हत्या कर दी गई। गुंडों ने उसकी मॉं को भी नहीं बख़्शा।
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 27, 2023
सागर में संत रविदास मंदिर बनवाने का ढोंग रचने वाले प्रधानमंत्री जी मध्य प्रदेश में लगातार होते दलित व आदिवासी उत्पीड़न एवं अन्याय पर चूँ तक नहीं करते। मध्यप्रदेश के…
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Chandra Shekhar Aazad demands strict action
Bhim Army supremo Chandra Shekhar Aazad also called out Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the attack and alleged, "Atrocities on the Bahujans have crossed the extreme under your rule!"
"We demand strict action against casteist goons! Soon, I will come to meet the victim's family," he wrote in a long post on X (formerly Twitter).