Clash in Madhya Pradesh Village as Upper-Caste Group Blocks Dalit Man’s Last Rites on Government Land

The incident began when the family and community members of a Dalit man, who had died in an accident in Bengaluru, attempted to perform his last rites on a plot of government land in Leelda village. This land, reportedly encroached upon by members of the Rawat community (an upper-caste group), had been used by the Jatav community (to which the deceased belonged) for cremations after their designated crematorium was acquired by the Railways for a line to Kota.

When the Jatav community arrived with the body, the encroachers allegedly stopped them, leading to a heated argument. The situation escalated quickly, with both sides engaging in stone-pelting. In protest, members of the Jatav community blocked a road by placing the deceased’s body on it, demanding justice and the right to perform the last rites.

Senior police and administration officials, including Sheopur Superintendent of Police Virendra Jain, Vijaypur Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Abhishek Mishra, and the Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), intervened to defuse the situation. After six hours of negotiations, both sides were pacified, and the last rites of the Dalit man, identified as Jagdish Jatav, were conducted on the disputed government land.

SP Jain clarified that the conflict was not purely caste-based, though some parties had given it a political spin. He noted that the Jatav community had been using the government land for cremations due to the loss of their original crematorium. A protester from the Jatav community alleged that despite the land being designated for their use by authorities, it was illegally occupied by the Rawat community, who lacked legal claim to it.

This incident is not an isolated case in Madhya Pradesh, where caste-based discrimination and violence against Dalits have been reported frequently. The state, particularly regions like Bundelkhand, Gwalior-Chambal, Vindhya, and Malwa, is known for sharp caste divisions and violent rivalries. For instance, in January 2025, 20 families in Atrar village, Chhatarpur district, faced social boycott for consuming prasad offered by a Dalit man. Similarly, in November 2024, a Dalit man was beaten to death by a village sarpanch and his kin in Shivpuri district over a water source dispute.