BHOPAL: A 28-year-old tribal was killed and three injured when a forest patrol team fired at them in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh late Tuesday night.
The foresters have been booked for murder, while the department maintains that they fired in self-defence.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed his grief at the incident and ordered a judicial probe and the immediate suspension of the forest employees. Home minister Narottam Mishra told mediapersons that strong action was being taken. The killing of a tribal on World Tribal Day has sparked a political skirmish in MP, with state Congress chief Kamal Nath demanding that CM Chouhan apologise to tribals.
The incident happened near Katiyapura forest beat, around 80km from Vidisha town and 125km from Bhopal, at 10pm on Tuesday. Police identified the slain tribal as Chain Singh, and those injured as Bhagwan Singh, Rajendra Singh and Rod Singh. All of them are from Raipura village, around 7km from the site of the shooting. The survivors allege that they were shot from behind without provocation.
District collector Uma Shankar Bhargav told TOI that Chain’s family will get a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job. Those injured will be given 5 lakh each. Vidisha police registered a case of murder at Lateri police station against forest employees, following a complaint from Chain’s brother Preetam Singh. ASP Sameer Yadav said the foresters have been booked under IPC sections 302 (murder) 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention).
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Police weren’t clear on how many forest staffers have been named. The FIR names only one ‘Nirmal deputy’.
Unprovoked firing, say survivors Rajendra Singh, who is being treated for bullet injuries, told mediapersons that the forest team started firing unprovoked. He said the tribals were collecting firewood and were not into illegal tree felling, but he couldn’t explain why they entered the forest so late at night. Rod Singh told media that they had gone to collect firewood when they were “caught by the forest officials and fired upon”. He said that when they tried to rescue Chain, the firing intensified and three of the tribals were hit.
Self-defence, says forest dept DFO Rajbir Singh told mediapersons that the firing was in self-defence. Forest officials said they had inputs on the movement of timber smugglers from Guna (MP) in south Lateri forest range and patrolling was intensified.
On Tuesday night, a patrol team spotted around 9-12 people carrying logs near Bairagarh Kotra forest post and ordered them to stop. The group ran away after abandoning their motorcycle. One of them was reportedly apprehended. The patrol team was on its way back with the detainee when they were surrounded by around a dozen men who started pelting stones at them, forcing them to open fire, say forest officials.
Tribal Politics MP Congress chief Kamal Nath demanded that CM Chouhan apologise to the tribal community for “continued oppression”. “The Shivraj government is not refraining from its campaign of oppression and exploitation of the tribal people. The state has already achieved top position in atrocities against tribals under the Shivraj government. After unleashing atrocities on tribals under government protection, they are now showing the hypocrisy of a probe and compensation,” Nath tweeted, demanding a government job for the deceased's family.
