Bhopal, March 7 Tension gripped Baktara town of Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district when a youth was found murdered on Friday morning.
According to the police, the youth, of the Kirar community, had been stabbed to death and the incident led to an uproar, with enraged community members blocking roads by placing the dead body of the youth there.
A few unknown people also set some properties on fire, and pelted stones at the police.
The victim was identified as Bablesh Chouhan, aged around 30 years old.
District Magistrate Balaguru K told IANS that the situation is now under control.
"We promptly summoned the Quick Response Force from Bhopal and additional forces from nearby police stations. The victim had an altercation with his friend from the Dalit community. Both had been drinking together on Thursday evening when a verbal argument escalated under the liquor's influence, leading them to stab each other. The friend, Sanjay Ahirwar, managed to reach Shahganj police station despite his injuries and filed a complaint against Chouhan. An FIR was filed, but tensions soared when Chouhan’s body was discovered on Friday morning," he said.
Ahirwar, after informing the police, went to a hospital in Hoshangbad for treatment and was admitted. He was subsequently arrested as prima facie, his stabbing resulted in Chouhan's death, the District Magistrate said.
Only a few days ago, a similar alarming incident had led to tension gripping the town after the Dalit community faced a boycott. A Dalit family faced backlash for constructing a house opposite the residences of influential individuals in Baktara town, and reportedly, as a punitive measure, the entire Dalit population in the area was deprived of their ration supplies. The influential community even threatened to impose a fine of Rs 1e lakh on anyone who assisted the Dalit community.
It is alleged that members of an upper caste reportedly convened a Panchayat and decreed that the Dalits should be denied access to essential provisions such as ration, water, flour, pulses, and other groceries. They also proclaimed that individuals from the community should not be summoned for any labour, under the threat of a fine.
The district administration's swift intervention had resolved the issue.
The District Magistrate said that both incidents are separate. "Earlier, a different community had conflicts with the Kirar community. In Friday’s incident, it was a fight between two friends irrespective of their communities," he said.
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