A shocking incident at Singrauli Collector's office in Madhya Pradesh has raised questions about police conduct after a poor family, who had spent the night outside the premises hoping for justice, was allegedly beaten and dragged away in full public view.
A video of the incident has since gone viral, drawing widespread concern.
On Saturday morning, the family of Santram Shah from Kasar village had arrived at the Collector's office after spending the entire night on the footpath outside. Santram alleged that on the night of November 28, the village Sarpanch sent a JCB machine to uproot their wheat crop and began unauthorised road construction on their land.
The family, including women and small children, left the village immediately and reached the district headquarters, hoping to receive help from the administration the next morning.
Video Shows Police Dragging A Family Member
However, as they approached the Collector with their complaint, police personnel reached the spot. The video shows a young man from the family being grabbed, dragged, and forcibly pushed into a police vehicle. Female members of the family are seen pleading and crying for help as children scream, but the police continue their actions.
While the family was pleading for justice, an FIR was being registered against them at Bargawan police station. At 10:45 am on Saturday, a complaint was filed by a man named Keshari Lal Sahu, who alleged that around 11:00 pm on Friday, while he was constructing a road on Jagjivan Ram Vaishya's field, Santram Sahu, Satish Sahu and Suresh Sahu arrived, blocked the way, used abusive language and threatened to kill him.
Based on this complaint, the police took action against the family inside the Collectorate compound.
What Did The Officials Say?
When asked why the family was taken away, Joint Collector Sanjeev Pandey said, "I do not know that these people were here all night. The Collector was in a meeting and met them immediately after the meeting. I do not know why they were taken to the police station." He added that the administration was taking the family to the disputed land for investigation.
Meanwhile, Singrauli Collector Gaurav Benal denied that the administration refused to meet the family. He said the family had already met him on Friday and that the land they claimed belonged to them was under illegal occupation. According to him, the family had used abusive language during a dispute with the Sarpanch, and an FIR was registered on that basis.
The Collector also said the police attempted to take the family to the station because a case was already registered against them but claimed that no barbarity took place.
He added that the matter would be investigated and further action would follow as per the law.
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