Dalit Man Assaulted and Urinated Upon After Protesting Illegal Mining in Madhya Pradesh

The victim has been identified as Rajkumar Chaudhary, a 36-year-old Dalit man who suffered brutal assault in Madhya Pradesh's Katni district after protesting against illegal mining activities on government property.

This violent incident has sparked widespread outrage as it highlights the persistent issue of caste-based violence continuing to plague rural communities across the state.

According to the formal complaint filed with the Katni Superintendent of Police, Chaudhary stated that on October 13 evening, he objected to unauthorized gravel excavation from Ramgarha hill adjacent to his farmland. The illegal operation was reportedly being conducted under the direction of village Sarpanch Ramanuj Pandey and his associates.

When Chaudhary voiced his opposition, he faced immediate hostility. "They hurled casteist slurs, threatened to kill me, and later ambushed me while I was returning home," he recounted in his statement.

Near the village's Muktidham area, Sarpanch Ramanuj Pandey, along with his son Pawan Pandey, nephew Satish Pandey, and other accomplices allegedly intercepted Chaudhary, subjected him to physical assault with sticks and rods, and committed a deeply humiliating act. "When my mother attempted to intervene, she was grabbed by her hair and beaten. His son urinated on me. I was degraded publicly in front of the entire community," Chaudhary reported.

Law enforcement has registered a case under sections pertaining to assault and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against four identified suspects. ASP Santosh Deharia stated, "The complainant approached us after receiving medical treatment. A comprehensive investigation is currently in progress."

The Sarpanch has denied all accusations, claiming they are politically motivated fabrications. "No illegal mining was taking place. We were simply renovating the Panchayat building and required gravel for construction purposes. These allegations are false and designed to damage my reputation," Ramanuj Pandey insisted.

This disturbing incident bears striking similarities to a July 2023 case from Sidhi, where BJP-affiliated individual Pravesh Shukla was captured on video urinating on a tribal man – an incident that provoked nationwide condemnation.

According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2023 report, crimes targeting Scheduled Castes continue to increase, with 57,789 cases documented across India last year, showing an increase from 2022 figures. Madhya Pradesh alone recorded 8,232 such incidents, ranking it among the top three states for caste-related crimes, following Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.