Guna Suicide Bid: Scindia Assures Support to Dalit Farmer Couple

Scindia, on a telephone call, assured the couple that they will get full justice and need not worry about anything.

Policemen beating up locals in Guna village, after a couple allegedly consumed pesticide during an ‘encroachment removal’ drive.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

On Thursday, 16 July, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia spoke to the Dalit farmer couple who had allegedly consumed pesticide in front of their children in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna because the police tried to destroy their crops and evict their family from a piece of 'government-owned’ land.

Scindia, on a telephone call arranged by MP minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia, assured the couple that they will get full justice and need not worry about anything.

When the woman told Scindia about a case being registered against the couple, he said, “Don’t worry. We will see to it. I was very sad on hearing about the incident. We will do whatever we can.”

He further added, “As soon as I got to know about the incident, I spoke to the chief minister and got the SP, Collector transferred.”

The woman also asked for help and support for her children in terms of land being allotted to them.

Ramkumar Ahirwar has been practising cultivation on a piece of land in Guna, which is reportedly owned by the state government. The Guna administration had ordered the setting up of a Model College on that piece of land.

According to local media reports, there were previous attempts made to vacate the land. But, the administration had been unsuccessful in laying the foundation stone so far.

Nirmal Rathore, Tehsildar of Guna City, who was present at the spot on the day of the incident, 14 July, and under whose watch the eviction drive was being carried out had said: “After taking measurement of the land, when the encroachment was being removed with JCB machines, the farmer couple tried to kill themselves by consuming poison.”

‘Left With No Choice,’ Says Dalit Farmer

Meanwhile, while narrating the events that transpired on 14 July, Ahirwar said, as per a report in The Indian Express: “I was left with no choice. I begged them not to destroy the crop but they did not stop. They did it last year too and my debts have gone up. One more round of destruction, and I knew I would have nothing to feed my six children.”

Videos that have since surfaced on social media showed policemen thrashing other locals present at the spot, including children.

Regarding the videos, IG Gwalior Range Raja Babu Singh had told The Quint, “The video has been clipped and is being shared as police wielding lathis on locals but the police was actually trying to shoo away the people who were resisting the cops from taking the unconscious farmer couple to the hospital.”

The Indian Express reported that the police had claimed that Shishupal, Ahirwar’s younger brother, had attacked them. However, Shishupal reportedly said, “I did not assault anyone, I only pushed a constable because they were dragging my unconscious brother away. I told them not to do that and lift him properly. I got angry because they not only hit us with lathis but abused us and called us criminal Pardhis.”

Meanwhile, the police have registered FIRs against Rajkumar, his wife Sabitri and other locals present at the spot. Among other charges, Section 353 of the IPC (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, Section 309 of the IPC (Attempt to suicide) have been added to the FIR.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)