The death of a 25-year-old tribal man from the Pardhi community in police custody in Madhya Pradesh's Guna has triggered massive protests and outrage.
Relatives of the victim - identified as Deva Pardhi gathered at the Collectorate's office today to voice their anger and seek justice.
The situation quickly escalated when some of the female relatives, in a desperate act of protest, took off their clothes. The women sat inside the Collectorate's office - some even lay on the ground, crying. As the police tried to remove them from the premises, they clashed with authorities - a woman was bleeding from her head, some had their bangles broken, and a policeman Dilip Rajouria was injured.
The protesting women said that the officials' claim that Deva Pardhi died of a heart attack was false. "How can a young boy die of a heart attack? The police beat him up. His uncle was also beaten," they said, demanding that the victim's uncle, Gangaram, be admitted to the district hospital to treat his injuries.
On Sunday, Deva Pardhi was making last-minute preps before taking out his baraat - a groom's wedding procession - when he was arrested along with his uncle Gangaram in a theft case. His last photo was clicked around 4:30 pm in his wedding sherwani.
Later that night, the family was informed of Deva's death over a phone call. More despair hit the already grieving family when Deva's bride attempted to die by suicide by dousing herself in petrol and his aunt Surajbai set herself on fire.
"Deva and Gangaram were taken into custody for questioning over a theft in the village. During the recovery of the stolen items, Deva reportedly complained of chest pain. He was first taken to the Myana Hospital and then to the district hospital, where he was treated. The doctors also administered CPR for 45 minutes but could not save him. According to the police, Deva Pardhi had seven criminal cases against him at various police stations," Additional Superintendent of Police Mann Singh Thakur said.
The victim's family had initially sought an autopsy to be done in Bhopal but later agreed to a magisterial probe after assurances from authorities.
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