Rahul Criticizes Madhya Pradesh Government Following Dalit Youth's Death in Police Custody; BJP Accuses Congress of Political Maneuvering

Bhopal, Dec 31 (NationPress) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi fiercely criticized the BJP government on Monday in light of the tragic death of a Dalit youth in a police lockup located in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh.

The deceased, identified as Mukesh Longre, passed away on Saturday after being summoned to the Satwas police station in Dewas district for questioning regarding a complaint lodged against him by a woman on December 26.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi denounced the incident as “shameful” and “condemnable”. He also referenced a separate incident in Odisha where a woman was reportedly assaulted.

Highlighting the occurrences in both Dewas and Balasore, Odisha, he stated, “On one hand, a Dalit youth was killed in police custody in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. On the other hand, tribal women were tied to trees and beaten in Balasore, Odisha. Both these incidents are sad, shameful, and highly condemnable.”

He asserted that such occurrences could not transpire without support from the state government. “Due to the Manuvadi thinking of the BJP, such incidents are happening one after another in the states ruled by them. Such barbarism against the Bahujans of the country will not be tolerated at any cost,” read Rahul Gandhi's post on X.

In the meantime, the chief of the Madhya Pradesh Congress unit, Jitu Patwari, along with other senior party leaders and the family of the deceased, organized a protest at the Satwas police station late on Sunday.

In response to the allegations made by the Congress, the MP BJP unit accused the opposition of exploiting the death of a Dalit for political gain. The BJP also criticized Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of making an “irresponsible” statement without fully understanding the details of the situation.

“It is the nature of Congress to do politics on death. Rahul Gandhi, who looks for caste and religion in any sensitive incident, is doing nothing new. Congress leaders have made irresponsible statements without knowing the truth,” the MP BJP remarked in a statement on Monday.

The Superintendent of Police (SP) of Dewas, Puneet Gehlot, informed the media that the Dalit youth had fashioned a noose from a towel, secured it to a window grill in the lock-up, and began to pull it.

According to Gehlot, police personnel attempted to intervene and rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He also confirmed that there was no case against the Dalit youth; he was merely called to provide a statement based on a complaint received from a woman.

Following the protest on Sunday, the in-charge of the Satwas police station, Ashish Rajput, has been suspended. The state government has mandated a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also acknowledged the case and requested a report from the state government.