5 arrested for setting tribal woman on fire over land dispute in MP's Guna district
According to the police, the incident took place on Saturday and the victim, identified as Rampyaru Sehariya, has been admitted to district hospital, where her condition is stated to be serious.
Five people, including two women, have been arrested for setting a 45-year-old tribal woman on fire over a land dispute in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district, police said on Sunday.
The five arrested accused have been identified as Pratap Dhakad, Hanumant Dhakad, Shyam Dhakad, Avanti Bai and Sudama Bai, said Pankaj Shrivastava, superintendent of police, Guna. (Getty Images)
According to the police, the incident took place on Saturday and the victim, identified as Rampyaru Sehariya, has been admitted to district hospital, where her condition is stated to be serious.
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The five arrested accused have been identified as Pratap Dhakad, Hanumant Dhakad, Shyam Dhakad, Avanti Bai and Sudama Bai, said Pankaj Shrivastava, superintendent of police, Guna.
They have been booked under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act, added Shrivastava.
Rampyari’s husband Arjun Sehariya, 52, a resident of Dhanoria village, told the police that he had six-and-a-half bighas of leased land but Pratap, Hanumant and Shyam, all residents of the same village, were trying to encroach.
“Naib tehsildar Bamori assessed the land in May and gave the possession of the land to Arjun. But on July 2, the three Dhakads reached there to sow soybean crop,” said the SP, adding that Rampyaru Sehariya stopped them from sowing.
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“Pratap Dhakad, Hanumat Dhakad and Shyam Dhakad poured diesel on Rampyari and set her on fire. Arjun went to the field at around 2.30 pm and found his wife screaming. She told him that the three accused set her on fire by pouring diesel. Arjun rushed his wife to the district hospital,” the SP added.
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“Pratap Dhakad, Hanumat Dhakad and Shyam Dhakad poured diesel on Rampyari and set her on fire. Arjun went to the field at around 2.30 pm and found his wife screaming. She told him that the three accused set her on fire by pouring diesel. Arjun rushed his wife to the district hospital,” the SP added.
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“We have arrested all the accused and further investigation is on,” the SP said.
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.
