The son of a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA in Madhya Pradesh shot at an Adivasi man in Singrauli district on Thursday after an altercation, PTI reported, citing the police.
Vivekanand Vaishya, is the son of BJP legislator Ram Lallu Vaishya who represents the Singrauli Assembly constituency.
“The accused, who is the MLA’s son, is currently on the run along with another man,” Additional Superintendent of Police (Singrauli) Shiv Kumar told The Indian Express. “We have announced a reward of Rs 10,000 each for their capture.”
On Thursday, Vaishya was in his car when an argument ensued with a group of men in another car over passage on a narrow road, reported the newspaper. The Adivasi man, Surya Kumar Khairwar, also joined the group after he saw his brothers Aditya and Rahul Khairwar in an altercation.
“Deepak Panika, who was with Vivekananda, was arguing with my brothers over the cars not being able to pass,” Khairwar told The Indian Express. “The fight escalated and my brothers were assaulted. I tried to intervene, then I heard a gunshot and saw that the MLA’s son, Vivekanand, was seated inside the other car, holding a gun.”
Khairwar sustained a bullet injury on his right wrist and was admitted to the district hospital, Morba police station inspector Ashok Singh Parihar told PTI.
The police have booked Vivekanand Vaishya under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, provisions under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and Section 25 (possessing or carrying any prohibited arms) and 27 (use of arms, ammunition) of the Arms Act.
Vaishya is currently out on bail in another case of assaulting a forest guard and opening fire in July last year, PTI reported. Vaishya had surrendered in a local court in February.
However, during his judicial custody, he put up in government hospitals for 45 days on medical grounds before he was granted bail, an unidentified police official told PTI.
Congress leader Kamal Nath said on Friday that BJP leaders were competing to persecute the Adivasi community.
Last month, an Adivasi man in the state’s Sidhi district was urinated on by an upper caste man. The video of the incident had drawn sharp reactions from the Opposition following which the police booked the accused Pravesh Shukla under the National Security Act, and under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Shukla is allegedly a member of the ruling BJP. Days later the victim Dashmat Rawat urged the Madhya Pradesh government to release Shukla, saying he has now realised his mistake.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Friday assured that action will be taken against Vaishya and that the law would take its own course, reported ANI.
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