A 31-year-old Dalit man, Balkrishna Jatav alias Sunny, was found dead inside the lock-up of the Civil Lines police station in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district on Sunday. Sunny, who was taken into custody the previous day for allegedly murdering his brother-in-law eight months earlier, was discovered hanging from a cloth tied to a window at around 5:30 am.
Sunny, originally from Gwalior, had been accused of killing his brother-in-law Ashok Jatav near the Savitapur canal in December 2023. The police, after sustained investigations, arrested him on Saturday. Sunny had reportedly been involved in 4-5 other criminal cases.
Following the discovery of his death, Morena district’s Superintendent of Police, Samir Saurabh, immediately suspended the in-charge of the Civil Lines police station, a head constable, and a constable. According to preliminary police reports, Sunny’s death appears to be a suicide. However, heavy police deployment was ordered outside the station to prevent any unrest, as the deceased’s family and others gathered in protest.
Sunny’s family, however, disputes the police’s version of events. His elder brother, Kallu, claimed that Sunny had been in police custody for four days, not just since Saturday as the police reported. Kallu also alleged that the police had been demanding a bribe of Rs 4 lakh to release Sunny, of which Rs 1.10 lakh was already paid to one of the officers.
These allegations have sparked outrage, particularly from the state Congress chief, Jitu Patwari. Patwari shared a video on social media showing Sunny’s relatives making these accusations against the police. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Patwari said “Is being a Dalit a crime in MP? After Katni district, people of scheduled castes are being targeted by police in Morena! Why is the police in MP, killing Dalits in police stations? If action isn’t taken as per law, I’ll go to Morena and fast unto death.”
