Widespread outrage over police action on a Dalit farmer couple during an anti-encroachment drive in Jaganpur Chak village of Guna district has led to the suspension of six policemen, including a sub-inspector and two women constables.
Following the suspension, Guna District Collector S Vishwanathan and Superintendent of Police Tarun Nayak were transferred.
On Tuesday, an anti-encroachment team from the state revenue department visited their land from, accompanied by cops, who attempted to evict the couple–Ram Kumar Ahirwar (38) and Savitri Devi (35)–and construct a boundary wall.
The government said that 20 bighas (around 5.5 acres) of public land had been set aside in 2018 for building a college. Ram Kumar Ahirwar and Savitri Devi, who claim they had been farming there for years, had allegedly encroached the land.
The couple requested the team to give them time till their crop was harvested but they started rolling the bulldozer. Seeing their crops uprooted in front of their eyes the couple consumed poison. The couple was rushed to the hospital later. Their condition is said to be stable.
The video fo the incident where the police can be seen assaulting the couple and dragging them into an ambulance had gone
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had ordered an inquiry into the police action and the attempted suicide. The State Human Rights Commission has asked for a report from the IG (Gwalior) and the Collector within three weeks, The Indian Express reported.
Among the six suspended policemen are Sub-Inspector Ashok Singh Kushwah; constables Rajendra Sharma, Pawan Yadav and Narendra Rawat; and women constables Neetu Yadav and Rani Raghuvanshi. They have been asked not to leave the headquarters without permission.
IG (Gwalior Range) Rajababu Singh was also transferred but the government did not say if the shift was related to the Guna incident.
A Congress team met the couple and handed them a cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh.
Also Read: Madhya Pradesh: Forced To Watch Their Crops Destroyed, Dalit Couple Drinks Pesticide