Mob attack in Madhya Pradesh: Cop bitten, beaten and dragged in Guna; violence sparked by inter-community marriage row

BHOPAL: A mob allegedly attacked a police team in Panchi village of Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district late on Monday evening, biting one policeman, dragging him and beating the officers during the violence.The injured constable Narendra Ojha, posted at the Binaganj police outpost, stated in his FIR that he was bitten on the back, beaten with sticks and dragged towards nearby fields after being identified as a policeman. Police have registered a case against 30 named and unidentified persons for attacking the police team. The incident took place under the jurisdiction of Chachoda police station. In his first-person complaint, Ojha said he and another constable had gone to the village after receiving information that members of the Lodha community and local villagers were gathering near a temple on the service road and planning to block traffic. “I was speaking to the Binaganj outpost over the phone when two men from the crowd suddenly grabbed us and shouted that we were police personnel who had come to collect information,” Ojha stated in the FIR. “Within moments, the entire crowd pounced on us.” According to the FIR, the two policemen were repeatedly kicked and punched, and forcibly dragged towards nearby fields. During the assault, one of the accused allegedly bit Ojha on his back, while others threw both policemen to the ground and attacked them with wooden sticks pulled from nearby bushes.

“I suffered a bleeding head injury and blunt injuries on my back and left hip,” Ojha wrote, adding that his colleague sustained injuries to both shoulders and below the waist. The situation worsened when a police vehicle reached the spot following the distress call. The FIR said the mob then attacked the newly arrived police team with sticks and sharp weapons, leaving a head constable and an assistant sub-inspector bleeding. “They pelted stones at the police vehicle, breaking its rear glass,” the FIR added. The mob dispersed only after additional police force reached the area, fleeing on motorcycles and tractors. The FIR also mentioned that amid the chaos, Ojha lost his wallet, while his colleague’s mobile phones and wallet went missing. Police said the violence was triggered by anger over a young woman from the Lodha community marrying a man from another community.

After police refused to hand over the woman, citing her adulthood and her request for protection, the crowd allegedly regrouped and turned violent. Several policemen were injured in the attack. On Tuesday, senior police officials visited the district hospital to review the condition of the injured personnel. Two accused have been arrested so far, while raids are underway to nab the remaining suspects.