Asian Age
By Our Correspondent
New Delhi, July 2

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has directed the collector and the superintendent of police of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh to take action against the police officials responsible for killing two Adivasi youths in June.

Commission chairman Dalip Singh Bhuria, after an on the spot inquiry on June 26 and interacting with the relatives of the deceased, directed that action be taken against the guilty under the SC/ST (Cruelty Redressal) Rule of 1989 and under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

He asked the local authorities to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident and submit a report to the commission in one week besides giving some financial assistance to the next of the kin of the deceased. The commission received a complaint from villagers of Gundikheda village that on June 18, one Narsingh had died after being beaten up by the police when he had been picked up to be questioned in a land dispute.

It was informed that the personnel of Rajod Police Station had picked four brothers Bhola Ram, Narsingh, Kalu and Naru. They were allegedly beaten and ill treated before being produced in court and bailed out.

Narsingh died on the way to his home and several people collected at the spot. The mob was furious and resorted to a ''Chakka jam'' on Sardarpur - Labria road. In order to contain the mob, the police resorted to firing killing another youth identified as Manji, while injuring several others.

When Mr Bhuria went to the spot, he was told that Manji's family did not get even his corpse for the last rights. He had been cremated on the banks of Mahanadi while his parents had waited for his body at Sardarpur.

According to a spokesperson of the Commission, P Kommu, the Commission has taken a serious note of the atrocities being committed on the Adivasis in the region. He cited the instance of beating up of the daily wagers in connection with the ransacking of Kolar ffWater Scheme in Bhopal on May 30.

The labourers had been beaten up so badly that they had to be admitted in a hospital for one week. The matter was investigated into by the state unit of the Commission and directions had been given to the local authorities to punish the guilty.