'Murdered' Dalit youth's sister in MP dies after falling from ambulance carrying uncle's body

The sister of a Dalit youth who was allegedly beaten to death in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar last August, died on Sunday (May 26) after she reportedly fell from an ambulance in which she was ferrying her uncle's body— who the deceased's family alleged was killed in a clash.

The youth identified as Nitin Ahirwar, aka Lalu, had confronted a group of 3-4 upper caste men last year, who allegedly 'molested' his sister, after which he got into a clash, and was beaten to death.

The police officials, still probing the death of Lalu, were quoted by Indian Express as alleging that the uncle of the siblings was killed in a clash over an old enmity. Cops also said that the woman had filed a case against those who harassed her in 2019. The accused later mounted pressure on Lalu to convince her sister and withdraw the molestation case against them.

Another kin of the deceased woman (sister) said, “There was constant pressure on us, but we did not withdraw the case. Our brother was killed and we could not let that go… Then they killed our uncle on Saturday. My sister and the uncle’s parents had left from Sagar with the body in an ambulance, when she fell from the van.”

The deceased's kin have also alleged that the door of the ambulance was left open, that might have led to her falling off the vehicle. The Opposition Congress in MP charged that BJP is "anti-Dalit" and demanded the removal of the Collector and Superintendent of Police of Sagar.

State Congress chief Jitu Patwari claimed the uncle was attacked by five people who were mounting pressure on him for a compromise in the old case (Lalu's killing).

“The law and order has deteriorated in the state under chief minister Mohan Yadav, who also holds the home portfolio. This crisis is not only in Sagar but in every district of the state. The law and order system has become a joke, which is boosting the confidence of criminals, and the government is silent,” Paywari charged.

Another brother of the woman told IE: "How did she (the victim) sitting inside the ambulance die in a road mishap? There was nothing to suggest that she would ever kill herself. Why did the ambulance take an unusual route? We were under constant pressure to withdraw the molestation case. Our uncle was killed over this issue.”

Former MP chief minister Digvijaya Singh on Monday met the family members of the deceased woman. “The administration promised to give her a government job, did they give her one? They made some other promises too like demolishing houses (of the accused), did they demolish… I am not in favour of bulldozing someone’s house, but you demolish many peoples’ houses in the name of action,” he said.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also slammed the Modi government over the death of the woman. She also put out a post in the matter on X which read: "This incident that happened with a Dalit sister in Madhya Pradesh is heart wrenching. The BJP people are after the Constitution because they do not want the women, Dalits, tribals and backward people of the country to live their lives with dignity and their voices are not heard anywhere."

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Narendra Saluja said, “The government has given directions to investigate the case. No one will be spared. We work as per the legal procedure. The Congress is playing divide and rule over this incident. There will be justice for the family."