Three booked for stopping SC family from worshipping at Durga Puja pandal in MP

An FIR was registered under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Sadak Seoni villagers Meharban Singh Thakur, Naresh Thakur and Narayan Yadav

Published on: Sep 26, 2025, 18:50:39 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Bhopal: Three men have been booked for allegedly preventing a Scheduled Caste (SC) family from worshipping at a Durga Puja pandal in Sadak Seoni village of Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district, police said on Friday, adding that all three accused are absconding.

Police teams are searching for them and a detailed investigation is underway (Representative photo)

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Chhapara police station under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against villagers Meharban Singh Thakur, Naresh Thakur and Narayan Yadav after a video of the incident was shared on social media on Thursday late evening.

“Shyamlal Ahirwar filed a complaint stating that on September 24, he, his wife Santoshi Bai, and their son Kartik had gone to a Durga Puja pandal to offer prayers. However, Meherban, stopped them near the temple and objected to their worship, verbally abusing them,” police station in-charge Khemendra Jaitwar said.

“Later, when Shyamlal went to the pandal to make a donation, Naresh and Narayan allegedly insulted him using casteist slurs. The accused also refused to accept the donation,” Jaitwar added.

Jaitwar said that police teams are searching for them and a detailed investigation is underway.

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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