Collector, SP suspended after a video of Dalit farmer couple consumed poison gone viral

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday night announced that the Guna collector and the superintendent of police have been removed from their posts after a Dalit farmer couple consumed poison to protest against an anti-encroachment drive.

Madhya Pradesh CM has directed immediate removal of Collector and SP of Guna, after a couple consumed poison allegedly after they were manhandled by police during an anti-encroachment drive in Guna yesterday. A high-level inquiry has been ordered.

— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2020

The couple on Tuesday drank poison after the police allegedly tried to destroy their crop during an anti-encroachment drive. The police and the district administration claimed that the couple were cultivating their crop on government-owned land. The Guna district administration wanted to vacate the land to build a college.

70 policemen came & asked us to vacate land saying it belongs to govt. We requested them to let us reap agriculture produce first. But they started abusing & beating us. My son took poison in anger but police ignored. We admitted him to hospital: Mother of victim in Guna incident pic.twitter.com/g8n1Ft4E2K

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2020

After a video of the incident gone viral, shot by onlookers, showed policemen brutally beating up some residents with sticks. A woman was seen pleading with the police to stop and trying to shield a man from the blows. A child was seen following the couple. Some other pictures showed the farmer couple’s children holding them and crying as they fell unconscious after consuming poison.

Incident is very upsetting. Transferring officers is of no use, these tactics are only part of a show but building a good environment is what matters. Officers removed today will be posted someplace good tomorrow: Former Madhya Pradesh CM & Cong leader Kamal Nath on Guna incident pic.twitter.com/T3hkRP3r1D

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2020

Rajkumar Ahirwar and his wife Savitri are now in stable condition, the police have booked the couple as well as others for trying to obstruct public officials on duty.

The action against Collector S Vishwanathan and SP Tarun Nayak was initiated after the video of the purported incident went viral.