Two tribal men were lynched over suspicions of cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district on Monday, 2 May.
The deceased have been identified as Dhansha Inawati and Sampat Wati.
The incident occurred late on Monday night in Semariya village under Kurai police station limits. An FIR has been lodged against six people under Indian Penal Code Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 3 (2) (v) of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Seoni Kumar Pratik said that the police arrested one of the culprits and that the rest of them were absconding.
"There were 15-20 members who caught these tribals with cow meat. Instead of informing the police, they took action on their own and beat them up. Two lost their lives after they were beaten up. We have lodged an FIR and arrested one of them. We are on the lookout for others," he said. The SP added that the police also confiscated 10 kg of cow meat.
On the question of whether the accused were members of Bajrang Dal or other right-wing groups, the SP said that the police could not confirm until all the accused were arrested and the investigation was completed.
Congress leader and MLA from Barghat constituency of Seoni, Arjun Singh Kakodiya, reached the village on Tuesday, where he, along with the villagers, staged a chakka jam demanding the demolition of houses of those involved in the killings of the tribal men.
The MLA also accused Bajrang Dal and Ram Sena members of killing the tribals and sought a ban on the organisations.
Ex-CM Kamal Nath Calls for High-Level Inquiry
Meanwhile, former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and Congress MP Kamal Nath condemned the "brutal murder" of the tribal youth and the rising cases of violence against tribals in the state.
He tweeted, "Very sad information has been received about the brutal murder of two tribal youths in the tribal block Kurai of Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh. A tribal youth is seriously injured in this incident. It is being said by the family members and the local villagers that the accused are associated with Bajrang Dal [sic]."
He demanded that the government conduct a high-level inquiry into the incident and called for strict action against the culprits. The former CM said that the injured youth should be given the best medical care and that the government must bear all the expenses.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)