Dalit man beaten to death in MP’s Bhind; kin torch house of accused

A 35-year-old Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death by his neighbours following a dispute in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, prompting the authorities to deploy police as the situation turned tense in the village, an official said on Sunday.

The victim’s death led to tensions in the village, as his relatives and other residents vandalised a house belonging to one of the accused.

The incident occurred at a village under Daboh police station limits, around 65 km from the district headquarters, on Saturday evening, the official said.

According to the police, the victim, Rudra Pratap Singh Jatav, had an ongoing dispute with a family in the neighbourhood.

The matter escalated on Saturday, and five members of the Kaurav family allegedly attacked him with sticks, leaving him seriously injured. An elderly man, who tried to intervene, was also hurt in the attack, said Rajesh Sharma, station house officer of the Daboh police station.

He said that Jatav was rushed to a nearby hospital and later referred to Gwalior due to his critical condition for advanced health care, but he died on the way.

The news of Jatav’s death triggered tensions in the village, as his relatives and other villagers vandalised a house belonging to one of the accused and set fire to it along with a car and a motorcycle parked outside.

Bhind Superintendent of Police (SP) Asit Yadav and his deputy Sanjeev Pathak arrived at the scene with police deployment to bring the situation under control.

Reinforcements from nearby police stations were also called in to restore order.

“A first information report (FIR) has been registered against the accused, Ranveer Kaurav, Ashu Kaurav, Prahlad Kaurav, Rajeev Kaurav and Kunwar Singh Kaurav, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and a search has been launched for them. Additional police forces have been deployed in the village to maintain peace,” SP Yadav said.