MP: Sarpanch, kin kill Dalit man over land row; CM Yadav promises strict action

Shivpuri (MP), Nov 27 (PTI) A 30-year-old Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death by the sarpanch and seven others over a land dispute in a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district, an official said on Wednesday.

Narad Jatav was fatally attacked on Tuesday evening after he and his maternal uncle objected to a road created through their land to a hotel belonging to the sarpanch, Padam Dhakad, in Indergarh village, the official said.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who was on a tour to the UK and Germany, directed energy minister and the district in-charge Pardyumna Singh Tomar to visit the village and extend help to the grieving family, an official said.

The CM has directed the release of Rs 4 lakh aid to Jatav's family.

The chief minister also informed that eight persons have been detained in connection with the Dalit man’s murder. Yadav has directed officials to take strict action against the culprits, he said.

The chief minister said that elements spreading unrest in the state will face tough action. There is no place for cruelty and anarchy in Madhya Pradesh, he said.

Earlier, an official had said that following the dispute over the road, Jatav allegedly removed the water supply line from a common borewell to the sarpanch Dhakad’s hotel.

Dhakad and his family then beat him with sticks and killed him, Kotwali police station in-charge Kripal Singh Rathore said. Jatav's family protested in the medical college where his body was taken for autopsy, demanding the registration of a first information report (FIR) against the accused, he said.

Later, police pacified them and registered a murder case against the sarpanch and his other family members, including his wife and sons, Rathore said.

Condemning the murder, former chief minister Kamal Nath wrote on X, "A Dalit youth was beaten to death with sticks in Indergarh of Shivpuri. After this murder in broad daylight, it has been proved once again that Dalits are not safe in Madhya Pradesh." Under the BJP rule, bullies are turning more audacious and it has become their habit to oppress the Dalits and tribals, he wrote on the social media platform. Nath also demanded special arrangements to ensure the safety of Dalits and tribals in MP. PTI COR MAS NR