On Tuesday, 23rd July, a mob pelted stones at a state police team and civic workers seeking the demolition of an individual’s house accused of assaulting a woman and her husband over a land dispute in a village in Guna district in Madhya Pradesh. The situation prompted law enforcement personnel to fire teargas shells to disperse protesters. 22 individuals have been booked for pelting stones at police and civic authorities.
According to reports, a few police officers and civic officials were injured, and a fire department truck was destroyed during the stone pelting in Vishnupura village, which is part of the Fatehgarh police station. “When civic staff went to pull down illegal shops of one Rafiq Khan on directives of village panchayat officials, a large crowd comprising local residents and other individuals demanded that his house, too, be razed and later pelted stones at policemen and members of the demolition squad,” the police said.
महिला की पिटाई मामले में Guna में बवाल, आरोपी के घर गई पुलिस पर पथराव, भारी संख्या में फोर्स तैनात ! MP Tak #MP #Guna #Crime pic.twitter.com/MejwZ9UBJB
— MP Tak (@MPTakOfficial) July 23, 2024
Rafiq Khan is accused of beating an elderly woman, her husband, and his family on Monday, 22nd July. He and two other family members, including his father, were eventually arrested. On Tuesday, a team of police and officials led by Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Vivek Asthana arrived in Vishnupura to remove the accused’s illegal structures. However, the police shot tear gas and used force to disperse the angry mob and bring the situation under control.
Rafiq Khan had built two businesses on government land, which the authorities demolished, Guna’s acting Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vikas Anand informed the media. Tension rose briefly in the area as residents demanded that Rafiq Khan’s house be demolished, said Anand, who added that the situation had been brought under control.
Notably, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal activists also arrived in the village and gathered in front of the Fatehgarh police station, demanding the removal of illegal buildings built by the assault case accused. They pressed on the demolition of Rafiq Khan’s house, the police said. Cops are identifying stone pelters and will take action against them after registering a case, he added.
On Monday, 22nd July, a massive dispute arose in Vishnupura over the removal of the boundary wall from government land. An elderly woman, her husband, and their nephew claimed that the vacant plot belonged to them. Later a rival group of villagers led by accused Rafiq Khan also laid claim to the land. Rafiq Khan and his relatives beat up the elderly woman and her husband during a heated fight, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media. According to the reports, both sides filed cross-FIRs related to the incident.
In a viral video, the woman is seen falling on the road while a man kneels on her and smacks her, while the old man is assaulted with sticks. “Both sides have accused each other of assault. Acting on a complaint of Rafiq Khan, an FIR was registered against the elderly woman, her husband and their nephew. On the basis of the second complaint, a case was registered against Farid Khan, his son Rafiq and grandson Raju,” the official added.
Farid Khan, his son and grandson have been arrested in the case.
