Madhya Pradesh tribal man killed, 3 others hurt in firing by forest officials

Opposition Congress leader Kamal Nath hit out the government and asked chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to apologise to the tribal community

Updated on: Aug 10, 2022, 15:07:12 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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A tribal man was killed and three others injured when forest officials fired at them after allegedly being pelted with stones while attempting to prevent wood smuggling from a forest in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha, a police officer said on Wednesday.

An official said the firing was in self-defence. (HT PHOTO)

Additional police superintendent Sameer Yadav said Chain Singh was killed while Mahendra Singh, Bhagwan Singh and another unidentified person were injured. He added the forest officials, including deputy ranger Nirmal Singh, have been suspended and booked for murder while a heavy police force has been deployed in the area.

Divisional forest officer Rajveer Singh said a team was rushed to the Khadyapura forest on Tuesday night when they were tipped off about the presence of wood smugglers from Guna there. “...[The] team reached the spot and saw about seven to eight people with wood. The area was cordoned off to arrest them but they started pelting stones.” He insisted the officials fired in self-defence. “One person died on the spot while three others were injured.”

State home minister Narottam Mishra said chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered a judicial inquiry and announced financial assistance for families of Mahendra Singh and the three other injured in the firing. “... ₹20 lakh and a job will be given to the kin of the deceased and ₹5 lakh each to the injured...”

Opposition Congress leader Kamal Nath hit out the government and asked Chouhan to apologise to the tribal community. “Even when the country is celebrating the diamond jubilee of independence, the government is not backing down from its campaign of oppression of the tribals.”

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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