MP: Days After Guna, Upper Caste Men Attack Dalits over Land Dispute in Neighbouring Shivpuri
Image for representational use only.Image Courtesy : National Herald
Bhopal: Five days after the Guna police brutality incident, another atrocity has been reported against dalits in the neighbouring district, Shivpuri, on Thursday.
Members of the upper caste community reportedly not only beat five dalits of Silra village over cultivation on government-owned pasture land, but also fired in the air to wreak havoc in the village, the police said. The incident occurred nearly 50 km away from the district headquarters.
Five members of the dalit community were severely injured during the violence. Two got their arms fractured, while one suffered multiple injuries on his head and got stitches, the police said.
Taking immediate action against the offenders, the Shivpuri police has booked seven persons from the upper caste community in connection with the incident and booked them under Sections 147, 148, 149, 294, 323, 336, 506 of the Indian Penal Code and under the relevant charges of ST/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act - 1989.
“Members of both the communities cultivated parts of the 10 acres of pasture land in Silra village, five acres each,” said SP Shivpuri Rajesh Chandel. “But, when the members of upper caste allegedly tried to capture the remaining five acres of pasture land cultivated but dalits, they objected. However, it did not go down well with the upper caste men and in response to their objection, they attacked dalits on Thursday night,” Chandel said.
“Seven people have been booked and soon, the police will arrest the accused,” Chandel added.
Mahendra Boudh, a social activist who has met with the injured at the district hospital, claimed that members of the Thakur community wanted to grab their land and they were thrashed for showing resistance.
While 50-year-old Jaswant Jatav, who stakes claims to the 2.5 acres of pasture land, said in a police complaint that Thakurs are already cultivating five acres of the common pasture lands, but they wanted to grab the remaining five-acre patch they cultivated.
"When we resisted, they attacked the village armed with guns, lathis and also fired shots in the air,” Jatav said.
When contacted, the town inspector of Karera police station, Manish Kumar Sharma, claimed, “We are conducting raids at various places and soon, they will be behind the bars.”
Also read: Dalit Atrocities: In Pursuit of Justice Amid Lockdown
Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
