Two men beat to death a 50-year-old Dalit farm worker in Karod village of Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district for allegedly not having a matchbox, NDTV reported on Sunday.
The accused – Yash Yadav and Ankesh Yadav – attacked Lalji Ram Ahirwar after he did not give them a matchbox to light up their cigarettes, the police said. “Yash Yadav and Ankesh Yadav attacked Lalji Ram Ahirwar with sticks for denying a matchbox,” Additional Superintendent of Police, TS Baghel said. “He got severely injured and was admitted to Guna district hospital but succumbed to his injuries.”
The accused have been arrested and booked for murder and provisions under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Act, reported the New Indian Express. The state government has announced a financial assistance of Rs 8.25 lakh for the victim’s family.
In July this year, Guna had witnessed another tragic incident involving a Dalit farmer couple, who consumed poison in front of police and district administration, in a bid to stop an anti-encroachment drive. The two were hospitalised and discharged after a few days, while the collector of Guna and the superintendent of police were removed from their posts.
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