Dalit protests: Sons shot, two families in Bhind struggle to grasp politics, economics

On Monday morning, Pradeep had gone to the nearby Mehgaon market, where many Dalits had gathered against the Supreme Court’s recent order on the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “Around 11 am, Sonu Baishandar, Mini and Ballu Rathore fired at him from a roof,” the FIR lodged after his death states.

The bullet hit Pradeep’s leg and he collapsed. “He called up and told me about the incident. We reached there and admitted him to a local hospital,” Deshraj, Pradeep’s elder brother, said. By the time police provided an ambulance to shift him to a Gwalior hospital, it was too late. Pradeep succumbed to injuries due to excessive loss of blood.
Bhind SP Prashant Khare said a case of murder has been lodged but no one has been arrested yet.

Ram Naresh said it was not possible for him to ascertain who fired his son’s political imagination but local Dalit youths, such as Shishupal and Arjun Singh Jatav, seem to have the answer.Shishupal, 22, a neighbour, said Pradeep was not politically active per se but education was gradually helping Dalit youths like him to assert themselves.

At the other end of the village, near the home of another victim, Akash Garg, Arjun Jatav said he finds the stock question on whether he is aware of the factors leading to the April 2 Bharat Bandh condescending. “I do not know what caste you belong to but we are quite aware of our plight,” he said. “We know how (alleged) dilution of the law will rob us of a very crucial tool to seek justice,” he said.

Akash, 16, was returning from the Mehgaon market after buying vegetables when a bullet, “fired by the sons of Vinod Vaishandhara”, hit him, the FIR states.

Like Pradeep, Akash also managed to call home despite injuries. The teen, younger son of Longbai Garg, a widow, succumbed later at a local hospital. The family lives in Bodh Vihar, a Dalit colony adjoining Bhind-Gwalior highway.
The FIR in Akash’s death has been lodged under IPC Section 302 and Section 3(2) (5) of SC/ST Act. No arrests have been made yet.

In Bhind town, where curfew and suspension of internet services continue, Abhishek Singh Kushwaha, who runs a restaurant, tried to explain: “The area is mainly inhabited by Kushwahas and Bhadorias, both Thakurs. There’s a substantial number of Dalits but they are largely illiterate. They created ruckus, claiming that reservations were being abolished. In Telangana or Andhra Pradesh, where there are more SCs, there was no violence because they are literate.”

About proliferation of guns in the region, a police official said licenses were earlier issued abundantly since people wanted to arm themselves against robbers in the Chambal belt. “Bhind district has more than 22,000 licensed gun holders. Proliferation of illegal arms only exacerbates the situation,” he said.

Back in Mustura, asked to provide a photo of his son, Ram Naresh went inside and came out with a passport-size portrait of Pradeep. “Photo toh bahut rakhe thhe naukri ke liye (had kept many photos for job interviews),” he said.