A video of a 15-year-old Dalit boy and his grandmother being beaten up by officers inside a railway police station in Madhya Pradesh has emerged, stirring an uproar. One officer has been suspended and a probe has been ordered amid the controversy.
The video, reportedly from October 2023, shows an officer, Aruna Vagane, in charge of the Katni Government Railway Police (GRP) station in Jabalpur, beating a woman, Kusum Vanskar, with a stick and kicking her while she wails in pain in front of her grandson. The CCTV footage further shows a group of police officers thrashing and kicking the boy.
The video of the incident has now gone viral and an investigation has been launched into the incident following the controversy.
Congress leaders targeted the Mohan Yadav-led BJP government in the state, citing the incident as an example of 'oppression against Dalits'. Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari, sharing a video of the incident, alleged that “oppression of Dalits has become the biggest weapon” of the BJP, and stated, “This game of political malice must stop!”
Calling it a “gruesome incident,” he said, “Dalits of Madhya Pradesh are forced to live a horrific life under the misrule of the BJP. If the Chief Minister cannot protect the people of his state, he should resign immediately”.
The Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress, on its official social media handle, also targeted the government, saying the police are “killing people by committing hooliganism in the name of law and order”.
According to Officer Aruna Vagane, Kusum Vanskar's son and Deepraj's father, Deepak Vanskar, has 19 cases against him and is wanted by the railway police, with a reward of 10,000 rupees announced for his capture. The officer alleged that his entire family used to support him in thefts, so his family members were brought in for interrogation.
Deepak Vanskar was later arrested and is currently in jail.
After the uproar, the Jabalpur Railway Police Superintendent (SRP) said that the station-in-charge has been suspended and an investigation has been ordered under the Department Superintendent of Police. The officer also highlighted that Deepak Vanskar was a history-sheeter and had been under surveillance since 2017.
Katni Additional Superintendent of Police, Santosh Sehria, said that a police enquiry will be carried out if a complaint is registered.
"A video has gone viral on various social media groups where prima facie it seems to be a case of GRP Katni... We have not received any complaint in this regard and if a complaint is filed, the investigation will be carried out based on facts," ASP Sehria said.
