CBI takes over probe into alleged harassment, death of Pardhi tribe woman in MP

The CBI was asked by the Madhya Pradesh high court to probe the death of Indermal Bai, a woman living in Pardhi mohalla in Gandhi Nagar (Bhopal), who had set herself on fire on November 17, 2017 in front of four police officers.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over probe into the death of Indermal Bai, a woman from the de-notified Pardhi tribe in Madhya Pradesh.

CBI has filed the FIR on Friday naming all four police officers, who will be examined soon, an official said. (PTI PHOTO.)

Pardhi community was branded as a criminal tribe by the British along with 150 other tribes for rebelling against the regime and was forced to live outside cities in camps. After independence, the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed in 1952 and the tribe was de-notified. However, cases of harassment of the Pardhi community at the hands of police and administration have often been reported over the last seven decades.

The agency was asked by the Madhya Pradesh high court to probe the death of Indermal Bai, a resident of Pardhi mohalla in Gandhi Nagar (Bhopal), who had set herself on fire on November 17, 2017 in front of four police officers – Gajraj, Dheeraj, Sandeep and Rajeshwar Yadav.

It was alleged that the police officers used to harass her regularly demanding Rs 20,000 bribe and threatened her that if she didn’t pay, she will be implicated in a false case. She had even filed a complaint before the Collector against the police officers but the harassment did not stop.

On November 17, 2017, Indermal Bai was incited by the officers to commit suicide. She succumbed to her injuries three days later, but not before recording her dying declaration.

In its order in November last year, Madhya Pradesh high court observed that why police personnel, if present at the spot during the incident, didn’t take any action to stop the deceased from immolating herself needs to be probed.

The court also noted that the police didn’t conduct a forensic test on the clothes seized from the deceased and it failed to take into account statements of witnesses present there.

CBI has filed the FIR on Friday naming all four police officers, who will be examined soon, an official said.