Unrest over tribal girl’s suspicious death in MP

Shouting slogans, people pelted stones at the police post (Photo: Amar Ujala)


A tribal youth allegedly sustained fatal bullet wounds while another received gunshot injuries after police opened fire to disperse an angry mob of tribals, who attacked a police post alleging that a young tribal girl was gangraped and murdered in Indore yesterday.

The incident rocked the ongoing Budget Session of the MP State Assembly today, as several opposition tribal MLAs walked out of the House in protest, demanding immediate stringent action against all the accused.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident after taking feedback from senior police and administrative officials.

Chouhan also announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh and government job to one member from the family of the deceased.

The opposition Congress also formed a committee of its tribal MLAs who have been sent to Mhow to inquire about the whole incident in detail and submit their report to MP Congress President Kamal Nath.

The deceased, a 22-year-old girl and the tribal man identified as Bherulal, were today cremated in their respective native villages in Maheshwar tehsil of Khargone district and Jamgate village in Mhow district respectively amidst heavy police security.

The district administration had already imposed Section 144 in the troubled areas after the incident last night, while the police cordoned off the entire tribal dominated area of Mhow and the roads leading to the villages today, as a precautionary measure.

Yesterday late evening, the family members of the deceased girl, along with a large number of tribal community members, had staged a road blockade with the girl’s body in Mhow. The mob gheraoed Dongargaon Police post in Mhow demanding action against the alleged culprits.

The girl’s family has alleged that their daughter was gangraped and then murdered by some influential people of the upper caste in Indore.

Initially the police dispersed the crowd but the mob reassembled and attacked the police post, in which more than half-a-dozen police personnel sustained injuries.

Consequently, the police resorted to cane charge, tear gas shelling and later opened fire to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control.

It is alleged that the tribal youth Bherulal died due to police firing and another tribal youth was shot in the leg.