MP: Tribal woman set ablaze over land dispute in Guna
A group of men set a 38-year-old tribal woman on fire after trespassing on land that her family received through a Madhya Pradesh government welfare scheme in the Guna district. The three men recorded the incident after setting her on fire in the field, according to the woman's husband, and the video was later shared online. The woman is currently hospitalized in critical condition.
Why does this story matter?
The incident has highlighted the vulnerability of tribal people, who make up 22% of the state's population. According to the most recent National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics, the number of incidents of atrocities against Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Madhya Pradesh has been steadily increasing. In 2020, 2,401 cases were reported, up from 2019's figure of 1,922 and 1,868 in the preceding year.
Family sought police protection earlier due to threats by accused
Rampyari Bai, the woman, is reportedly from the Saharia tribe, which falls under Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Her family claims that they sought police protection earlier in response to threats made by the accused, but were denied. According to Pankaj Srivastava, the district police chief, the woman's husband, Arjun Saharia, discovered her on the field on Saturday, writhing in agony from burn wounds.
More details regarding the incident
Arjun Saharia, the husband, said he saw three other villagers, Pratap, Hanumat, and Shyam Kirar, fleeing the scene on a tractor with their family members, all of whom belonged to the Other Backward Classes community. His wife told police that six people, including the three mentioned above, one named Pandit, and two women, poured diesel on her and set her on fire before fleeing.
What is the reason behind the land dispute?
According to Madhya Pradesh police, the woman reportedly told her husband that the three accused set her ablaze for tilling on 6 bighas of land allotted to Saharia's family many years ago under a state government welfare scheme. However, the men occupied the land, which was only recently returned to Saharia's family by the government's local revenue department after being cleared of squatters.
Victim's family alleges inaction over threats
"A case has been filed on Arjun Saharia's complaint and two of the three men named in the First Information Report (FIR) have been arrested," police officer Pankaj Srivastava stated. Saharia had also reported to the local police that the families of the three men had threatened him. He claimed that the police had not yet taken action on this complaint.
Opposition accuses BJP government of being 'hostile' towards tribals
The opposition Congress accused Shivraj Singh Chouhan's BJP government of being "hostile" to tribals. Former CM Kamal Nath reportedly highlighted that the husband "had given an application to the police on June 23 asking for security...but wasn't given." Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on Twitter, "A party that puts up Droupadi Murmu for the presidential election allows such....terrible atrocity on...tribal woman. Shameful."
