19-year-old Dalit killed in Chhatarpur over ration dispute

Chhatarpur: A 19-year-old Dalit youth died after he was allegedly shot during an altercation at a ration shop in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, while his brother received pellet injuries, police said on Monday.

Condemning the incident, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that 19-year-old Pankaj Prajapati was shot dead in broad daylight only because he is a Dalit who demanded his share of rights.

Taking to X, he alleged that 11 years of the Modi government have been full of humiliation, violence and discrimination against Dalits, tribals, backward classes, and minorities.

The incident occurred on Sunday in Bilhari village under the Naugaon police station area, about 25 km from the Chhatarpur district headquarters, police said.

According to police, a dispute broke out between Pankaj Prajapati and three others while buying goods from the fair price shop, during which one of them fired a gun.

“Pankaj Prajapati died on the way to Gwalior,” said Naugaon Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Amit Meshram.

He said a case has been registered against Praveen alias Kattu Pateria, Naveen Pateria, and salesman Ramsevak Arjaria under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Arms Act.

Police raided the houses of the accused persons, however, they managed to flee. A police team has been formed to trace them.

Gandhi, meanwhile, alleged that no FIR was registered and postmortem was postponed because “the guilty leader is sitting in the lap of power and the power belongs to the Manuwadi and anti-Bahujan BJP”.

“The 11 years of the Modi government have been full of humiliation, violence and discrimination against Dalits, tribals, backward and minorities. The conspiracy to institutionally make them second-class citizens and keep them away from the mainstream is continuing,” he said.

Gandhi demanded that culprits be arrested immediately and given the harshest punishment.

“I stand with the Prajapati family and every Bahujan in the country. This is a fight for respect, justice and equality, and we will win this fight at all costs,” he added.

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