In Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, tensions flared on Monday after members of an upper-caste group allegedly stopped the last rites of a Dalit man on a piece of government land in Leelda village. The incident led to stone-pelting between two groups and a road blockade, according to police officials.
Police said the Dalit man had died in an accident in Bengaluru a few days ago. When his family and community members brought his body to the village for cremation, they attempted to perform the last rites on a government plot — land that, locals allege, has been encroached upon by some upper-caste residents.
“When they tried to perform the last rites, they were stopped. An argument broke out, and soon stone-pelting started from both sides,” a police official said. In protest, members of the Jatav community, to which the deceased belonged, placed the body on the main road and blocked it.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Virendra Jain said senior police and administrative officers rushed to the spot to control the situation. “The Jatav community’s earlier cremation ground had been taken over by the railways. Since then, they had been conducting last rites on a nearby plot, which is now in the possession of another community. This led to the deadlock,” he explained.
Jain added that the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) were present at the scene and had helped restore calm. “Both sides are being counselled to avoid further escalation,” he said.
A protester from the Jatav community said, “The land belongs to the government. After the railway acquired our cremation ground, authorities allowed us to use this plot for last rites. But now, upper-caste people have occupied it illegally.”
Police said efforts are underway to resolve the land dispute peacefully.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.