40-year-old Dalit beaten to death for allegedly stealing lentils

Deenbandhu Sharma, a resident of Mahukhan village of the district, beat up Neelam Ahirwar on September 16 with 10 others, alleging that Ahirwar had stolen 15kg lentils from his farm.

Updated on: Oct 1, 2017, 23:08:40 IST

Bhopal, Hindustan Times | By Shruti Tomar

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A 40-year-old Dalit man was beaten to death for allegedly stealing 15kg lentils from the agriculture farm of an upper caste villager in Guna district late on Saturday evening.

A number of people from the upper caste entered the victim’s house with sticks and canes and attacked him and his family members. (File for representation)

The victim was identified as Neelam Ahirwar. Police have booked 24 upper caste villagers in a case of murder.

According to police, Deenbandhu Sharma, a resident of Mahukhan village of the district, beat up Neelam Ahirwar on September 16 with 10 others, alleging that Ahirwar had stolen 15kg lentils from his farm.

Sharma also registered a case against Ahirwar at Myana police station and handed him over to the cops.

Ahirwar was released on bail and a case was registered against Sharma and some other villagers under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

“This didn’t go down well with the upper caste community members. A number of people from the upper caste entered Ahirwar’s house with sticks and canes and attacked him and his family members. Ahirwar was injured seriously, while his wife received injuries to her head. Ahirwar was rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment,” said Avinash Singh, superintendent of police, Guna.

Ahirwar’s son Chhotu said villagers belonging to the upper caste community had lodged a fake complaint against his father and later beaten him to death.

“We are very poor and he was the only breadwinner of the family. Now, we are also scared of them because if they can kill my father for lodging a complaint, then they can kill us too,” said Chhotu.

Police have assured protection for the family and promised to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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