Police record 1st death in Khargone violence
BHOPAL/ KHARGONE: The body of a 28-year-old man, who went missing after communal clashes in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district on April 10, was identified by his family at Indore’s M Y Hospital on Monday, becoming the first reported casualty of the violence, police said. Deceased’s family, however, alleged a police cover-up and sought to know why they were informed about his death a week later.
As many as 50 people, including the district superintendent of police Siddharth Choudhary, were injured in the clash which erupted after a few people allegedly threw stones at a Ram Navami procession on April 10, police said. A few local residents, however, alleged that the procession was playing objectionable songs which led to a heated argument between the clashing groups, leading to violence.
Two-wheelers were set on fire in the violence that ensued, prompting the administration to impose a curfew in the area. Days later, on Saturday, police announced relaxation of the curfew for a few hours. As news of the missing person’s death spread on Monday, police withdrew the relaxations and reimposed complete prohibitory orders to prevent any untoward situation.
Khargone was one of several incidents of communal violence sparked on Ram Navmi in six states across the country. In the aftermath of the clashes, authorities controversially razed 50 structures owned by men accused of stoking violence, triggering allegations that the administration was bypassing legal due process.
The deceased, Ibraish Khan, was found in an unconscious state with head injuries in Khargone’s Anand Nagar area when the clashes erupted last week, Rohit Kaswani, who is officiating as Khargone superintendent of police, said.
The victim was taken to the district hospital where he succumbed to injuries on April 12, he said.
“He was rushed to a hospital with head injuries but died two days later. The body was shifted to M Y (Maharaja Yeshwantrao) Hospital’s morgue in Indore as the (Khargone) district hospital did not have any facility to keep the body,” Kaswani said.
His body remained unidentified for six days, he added.
The deceased’s family, however, alleged that Ibraish was killed by police after he was allegedly taken into custody during the violence, an allegation denied by police.
Ibraish’s brother, Iqlakh, claimed the former had gone to provide food for ‘Iftar’ (evening meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan fasting) in Anand Nagar area when he got caught in the violence.
Iqlakh sought to know why his family was not informed about Ibraish’s injuries or death for six days. On April 14, Kotwali Police had registered a missing complaint at the instance of his mother, Mumtaz, Iqlakh said.
“My brother was brutally thrashed by rioters and later detained by police. Several people told us they saw my brother in police custody. They said that my brother had suffered injuries on his head and was bleeding badly,” Iqlakh alleged.
“On April 13, we asked the police about my brother but they denied that he was in police custody. On April 14, my mother filed a missing complaint but police did not inform us about his death. On Sunday night, a policeman came to our house to collect information about my brother,” he added. He alleged that the police informed him about Ibresh’s death and the whereabouts of his body only after he threatened to go to the media. The family was subsequently taken to the Indore hospital where they identified the body, Iqlakh said.