Neemuch: A 40-year-old tribal man was allegedly thrashed in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch district on Thursday, August 26. Following a minor road accident between the victim and a milkman, who was riding a motorcycle, eight men tied him to the rear of a vehicle with a rope that dragged him.
The man, identified as Kanhaiyalal Bheel, died during treatment at the Neemuch district hospital on Friday. Five of the accused have been arrested, police said on Saturday.
“Chhitar Mal Gurjar, a milkman, was riding a motorcycle which knocked down the victim, Kanhaiyalal Bheel of Banda village, when he was standing on the Neemuch-Singoli road, some 84 km from the Neemuch district headquarter,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Suraj Kumar Verma told reporters.
The superintendent said Gurjar lost his cool after the milk spilt on the road due to the accident and beat up Bheel.
Gurjar then called up his friends who also roughed up Bheel and tied him to the rear side of a passing vehicle with a rope. Bheel was dragged for some distance, Verma said.
“After a video of the incident became viral, the police swung into action but by then, the accused had fled. The victim was rushed to the district hospital where he died on Friday,” the SP said.
All the eight accused were charged with sections 302 (Punishment for murder) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.
Five people, identified as Chhitarmal Gurjar (32), Mahendra Gurjar and Gopal Gurjar (both 40), Lokesh Balai (21) and Laxman Gurjar have been arrested and efforts are underway to trace others, the SP said.
He said the motorcycle and two four-wheelers, including a pick-up vehicle and a nylon rope believed to be used in the crime have been seized.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath tweeted that the incident was very “inhuman” which he said is the testimony to lawlessness prevailing in Madhya Pradesh.
Nath demanded the state government take necessary actions immediately to check such incidents and went on to demand strict action against the accused.