A case of violence has come to light from Ganeshpura village in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district, about 200 km from Bhopal, where a local BJP leader allegedly beat a farmer to death over a land dispute. The accused, Mahendra Nagar, who is the BJP Booth Committee President and a former office bearer of the Guna Kisan Morcha, has been accused of brutally assaulting 40-year-old farmer Ramswaroop Dhakad before running him over with a Thar jeep on Sunday afternoon.
According to eyewitnesses and police reports, Ramswaroop was walking to his fields with his wife when Nagar and his associates, around 13 to 14 people, ambushed him. The group allegedly attacked him with sticks and rods, leaving him severely injured, before running a vehicle over him.
Ramswaroop’s daughters, who rushed to save their father, were also assaulted. “When I went to save my father, they pushed me down, tore my clothes, and fired shots to scare us,” said his daughter, crying as she recounted the horror. “My parents were going to the fields when Mahendra, Harish, and Gautam attacked them. They ran over my father with the Thar. He screamed for help, but no one could come forward as they had guns.”
Locals told the police that the attackers fired in the air to spread panic and stopped anyone from helping the injured man. Ramswaroop lay on the ground for nearly an hour before he was finally taken to Guna District Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Ganeshpura village, which falls under the Fatehgarh police station area, has long been under the shadow of the accused. Villagers say Mahendra Nagar’s name evokes fear. “He has been grabbing land for years,” said one villager on the condition of anonymity. “At least 25 farmers have sold their land at very low prices and fled the area. Those who resist are beaten or driven away.”
Ramswaroop, however, refused to give up his land. The dispute revolved around six bighas of farmland in Pachlawada, Rajasthan. His defiance, villagers said, ultimately cost him his life.
By Sunday night, police registered a case against 14 people, including Mahendra Nagar, Jitendra Nagar, and three women from their family, under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including murder, criminal conspiracy, assault, and outraging the modesty of women.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer Vivek Asthana confirmed that raids were being carried out to arrest the accused. “The victim, Ramswaroop, had a land dispute with Kanhaiya Nagar of Pachlawada, Rajasthan. Around 13–14 people, including women, attacked him, leaving him with multiple fractures. He was even run over by a vehicle. His daughters were also assaulted. Ramswaroop was brought to Guna for treatment but died later in the evening,” Asthana said.
The case has created a political storm in the Guna district. District BJP President Dharmendra Sikarwar confirmed Mahendra Nagar’s affiliation with the party. “Yes, Mahendra Nagar is a party worker and booth president,” Sikarwar said. “We have written to senior officials demanding his immediate removal from the BJP. No one is above the law.”
