Dalit farmer in MP set on fire over land dispute, 4 arrested
THE ACCUSED YADAV FAMILY HAD REFUSED TO GIVE UP CLAIM ON LAND THAT BELONGS TO THE VICTIM, AND A FIGHT HAD TAKEN PLACE THURSDAY WHEN ONE OF THEM SET THE 55YROLD ON FIRE
in Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh have arrested four men from the Yadav community for allegedly killing a 55-year-old Dalit farmer by setting him on fire after a fight over a piece of land, a senior police officer said on Friday.
According to the police, Tiran Yadav, his son Prakash and nephews Balbir and Sanju were arrested late on Thursday night for the alleged murder of Kishorilal Jatav.
Deputy inspector general of police Dharmendra Chaudhary said Jatav was given 3.5 acres of land in Parosia Ghatkhedi village in Berasia area, some 45km away from Bhopal, in 2000 by the state government.
However, a dominant Yadav family in the village had their land adjacent to Jatav’s, and had been tilling a portion of the farmer’s field.
A dispute started between Jatav and the Yadavs after the land was measured a couple of years ago.
It became apparent that a portion under the possession of the Yadav family actually belonged to Jatav but the family was not ready to give up the claim.
Jatav’s son Kailash told the police that at around 9am on Thursday, his father came to know that some people were tilling his land.
He saw Tiran, Prakash, Balbir and Sanju on the field when he rushed there along with his wife, Kailash told the police.
When his father objected to the tilling of his land, the Yadav men started beating him, which turned deadly when Tiran poured petrol on him and set him on fire, the police said, quoting from the complaint filed by Kailash. A severely burnt Jatav was taken to Bairasia government hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.
As news of the murder spread, a large number of villagers gathered at the hospital demanding the immediate arrest of all the accused.
They also threatened to stage a roadblock but relented after a senior police officer managed to convince them against taking the law into their hands.
The villagers finally relented in the evening and took Jatav’s body and cremated it.
Choudhary said additional police force has been deployed in the village to stop any violence.
Around 200 million of India’s 1.3 billion population comprise and are at the bottom of the caste hierarchy. They have historically faced various forms of discrimination, including segregation, social boycott and violence, by people from castes higher in the hierarchy.