MP: Dalit youth assaulted for opposing illegal mining; probe ordered

Madhya Pradesh: A Dalit youth in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district has alleged that he was brutally assaulted by the village head and his aides for protesting against illegal mining activities. Police have initiated an inquiry into the incident following a formal complaint.

The victim, identified as Rajkumar Chaudhary, a resident of Bahuriband in Katni, claimed that village head Ramanuj Pandey and his associates attacked him when he tried to stop them from carrying out illegal mining. He further alleged that Pandey’s nephew urinated on him during the assault.

Chaudhary said that when his mother attempted to intervene, Pandey and his aides, allegedly involved in illegal mining, thrashed her and hurled caste abuses.

The incident took place a few days ago but came to light on Thursday after Chaudhary submitted a written complaint to Katni’s Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Santosh Dehariya.

Speaking to the media after filing his complaint, Chaudhary said he sustained serious head and body injuries and was admitted to Katni hospital, where he remained for three days.

“They insulted me by using caste slurs, and one of the Sarpanch’s men even urinated on me. I felt hopeless and wanted to end my life, but I decided to approach senior police officials instead,” he said.

ASP Santosh Dehariya confirmed that the complaint has been received and that the local police have been instructed to conduct a detailed inquiry into the allegations.

With IANS inputs