A 24-year-old Dalit man, who was set on fire in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district on January 14, died in a hospital in Delhi on Thursday leading to a war of words between the opposition BJP and the ruling Congress party.
Dhanprasad Ahirwar, a resident of Dhanshree colony in Sagar, was doused with kerosene and burnt by the accused after he didn’t withdraw his complaints against them with the police, said officials.
They added that the accused, who have been arrested, had been forcing him to take back his complaints.
After being treated in Sagar, Ahirwar was referred to Hamidia Hospital of Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal as his condition worsened with more than 70% burns.
The government stepped in after his condition worsened further and it came under opposition onslaught. Cabinet minister Harsh Yadav visited Ahirwar at the Hamidia Hospital on Monday and assured the best possible treatment.
Ahirwar was later taken to a hospital in Delhi by an air ambulance where he died on Thursday morning.
Sagar’s superintendent of police, Amit Sanghi, confirmed Ahirwar’s death.
“All the accused in the case have been arrested and now section 302 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) will be added in the FIR against them for the murder of the youth,” Sanghi said.
Those arrested include Ahirwar’s neighbours, Ajju Pathan, Kallu, Irfan and Chhuttu.
“I got the news of sad demise of Dhanprasad Ahirwar during his treatment in Delhi. My condolences to the family. The state government stands by the family in this hour of grief. Instructions for every possible help to the family,” chief minister Kamal Nath, who is on a trip abroad, tweeted on Thursday.
Ahirwar’s death has triggered another war of words between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Gopal Bhargava, who hails from Sagar, had earlier alleged there were more than 15 accused and since they belong to a particular community the Congress government was trying to shield them, a charge that was termed as baseless by the ruling party’s leaders.
“The careless attitude of the government and administration claimed the life of the Dalit youth. Had the government acted in time he would have been alive today,” Bhargava said on Thursday.
“The government’s inaction against a particular section of society due to appeasement politics is unfortunate,” he added.
Bhargava demanded the state government should extend financial help to the family and a government job for one family member.
State BJP president Rakesh Singh also hit out at the government as he alleged that the police didn’t act on Ahirwar’s complaint despite his repeated requests to them and even after the accused threatened him with dire consequences.
However, Congress leaders accused Bhargava of playing politics on a sensitive issue.
“All the accused named in the FIR have been arrested. Treatment of the youth was done at government expenses after the instructions of the chief minister Kamal Nath. Financial assistance too was given immediately,” the state Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja said.
“But it’s unfortunate that the BJP is trying to vitiate the atmosphere of amity in the state by telling lies,” he said.
