On the outskirts of Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow, a 33-year-old Dalit man, Vishnu Parmar, lost his life after allegedly being beaten by the owner of Rajput Dhaba. The altercation arose on Monday night, stemming from a dispute over the denial of food.
Vishnu Parmar, hailing from Bheslay village, situated approximately 10km from the dhaba and 45km from Indore, had gone to the dhaba for dinner with his nephew, Govind, on that fateful evening.
According to Govind, their order was delayed, and upon inquiry, Niraj Singh, the dhaba owner, informed them that dinner could not be provided as the cook had left.
Kuldip Khatri, the in-charge of Kishanganj police station, said, “This led to a quarrel after which Niraj and his staff started beating the duo. Vishnu suffered head injuries but he and his nephew managed to return home.”
Vishnu’s condition deteriorated around 3 am, he was taken to a private hospital in Rau and later to Indore’s Choithram Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Govind filed a complaint, leading to the registration of a case against Niraj under IPC for murder and voluntarily causing hurt. Sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act were invoked in the complaint.
After the news spread, the family and community members gathered near the dhaba, demanding justice and action against the accused. The situation escalated as protesters blockaded the Agra-Mumbai highway between Pigdamber and Pithampur for over two and a half hours.
Revenue officials arrived in the evening with JCBs to demolish what was deemed an ‘illegal part’ of the dhaba. However, the family, placed Vishnu’s body on the highway, resuming their protest and calling for the immediate arrest of Niraj Singh.
Senior officers are currently at the site, working to persuade the family to call off the agitation.
