Sarpanch, family 'beat Dalit man to death' for taking water
What's the story
A 27-year-old Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death in Indragarh village, Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. The victim, identified as Narad Jatav, was attacked on Tuesday when the local Sarpanch and his family confronted him for using a common hand pump to irrigate fields. The dispute escalated into a violent assault with sticks and rubber pipes, resulting in Jatav's death.
Attack
He died in a hospital
Police said that Jatav had just started watering his aunt's crops when sarpanch Padma Singh Dhakad, his family members Betal Dhakad, Jaswant, Awadhesh, Moharpal, Ankesh, and Dakha Bai, and Vimal Dhakad got into an argument with him about irrigation. They first abused Jatav before hitting him with wooden rods and rubber pipes in front of witnesses. After he became unconscious, the accused fled the scene. His relatives took him to a neighboring hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Legal action
Victim's brother files complaint, police arrest 4
After the incident, Jatav's brother Rajkumar complained against eight people who assaulted his brother. "My brother Narad Jatav had come to Indragarh. Our maternal grandfather has land here. Sarpanch and his family members beat my brother to death over groundwater near the field," he said. Senior police officer Sanjeev Mule confirmed four arrests have been made so far under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Ongoing probe
Investigation underway, search for remaining suspects continues
The police are now probing the case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. A manhunt has been initiated to nab the other suspects who are still absconding. "The two parties had a common bore, due to which there was a dispute over water and a person from Scheduled Caste (SC) was killed," Mule said.