Violence erupts during Ambedkar Jayanti in MP village

Violence erupted during an Ambedkar Jayanti rally in the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh as a group of men, allegedly belonging to the Bhim Army, vandalised a police station and some houses and vehicles, resulting in serious injuries to at least six persons, including two cops.

According to the police, the incident occurred in village Amilia on Tuesday afternoon.

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When participants were demanding the removal of a Bolero parked on its route, someone in the rally damaged the jeep’s windshield and bonnet. Enraged at that, the owner, Mani Shukla (22), assaulted some participants of the rally. Later, at least 50 masked men allegedly stormed the house of Mani and thrashed him brutally. They also assaulted his family members, including a woman and an elderly person.

The injured included Mani, Ramakant Shukla (80), Archana Shukla (40), and Divyansh Shukla (22).

The police reached the spot and tried to bring the situation under control. However, a large crowd of about 200 persons, including Bhim Army members, attacked the Amilia police station. They vandalised the SHO’s office and other parts of the police station, and assaulted some cops. In the ensuing melee, two policemen, Ramcharitra Pandey and Satish Tiwari, sustained injuries. Additional police force had to be summoned to the village and senior officials of police and district administration also rushed to the village.

According to Sidhi Collector Vikas Mishra, several officers were sent to the spot to bring the situation under control.

The police are scanning CCTV footage and gathering information about the events to identify those involved in the violence. Further investigation into the matter is on.