MP: Brutality against Dalit journalist in Bhind: “Beat him with slippers when he told his name”, policemen kept beating him in presence of SP

While talking to The Muknayak, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said that after this incident, he has written a letter to the Director General of Police of the state and demanded a fair investigation.

Published on: 04 May 2025, 12:31 pm

Bhopal. An incident that shook the soul of journalism and democracy has come to light in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. About eight journalists of the district were beaten up by policemen in the SP office. Among them, two journalists – Shashikant Goyal and Amarkant Chauhan – were beaten up by the policemen only because they used to write against the corruption of the police administration. One of these journalists, Shashikant Goyal, comes from the Dalit community, and he has alleged that he was beaten with slippers after asking his name and caste. All this happened in the presence of Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr. Asit Yadav.

“What is your name?” – and then the beating with slippers began

Shashikant Goyal told that he was called to SP Asit Yadav’s office on May 1. As soon as he reached there, SI Girish Sharma and Satyabir Singh asked his name. As soon as he told his name as Shashikant Goyal Jatav, both the policemen started hitting him on the cheek with slippers. Shashikant said, “I asked Sir why are you hitting me, what is my fault? So they replied – you have started writing a lot against the police.

He also said that he was forcibly asked to say “ji sir”. When he questioned what was the difference between “sir ji” and “ji sir”, he was beaten up again in front of the SP and abused with casteist slurs.

“Invited for tea, and then beat me up” – Amarkant Chauhan’s personal experience

Journalist Amarkant Chauhan told The Muknayak that he too had received a call from the SP office on the evening of May 1. He was told on the phone that they had to have a “Chai Pe Charcha”. He reached the SP office at around 5 pm, where his phone was snatched away. Then he was kicked from behind and then the policemen started beating him badly.

“I had fallen down, but SP sahab was standing and watching everything. No one stopped me. I was abused and told to run away from here, you are acting like a journalist,” Amarkant said.

Police reached the house at night and pressured to delete the video

Amarkant said that the police reached his house at around 10 pm. The policemen threatened him that the video he had made after the assault was fake and he should delete it. He was told that no incident had taken place. And the police also made a video under pressure.

Amarkant said, “We started feeling that our lives were in danger. So at 12 midnight we took a truck to Gwalior and from there we took a train to Bhopal.”

Met senior officials in Bhopal, demanded action

After reaching Bhopal, the aggrieved journalists, along with Royal Press Club president Pankaj Bhadoria and joint secretary Ankit Pachauri, submitted a memorandum to the Director General of Police (DGP) and met Intelligence ADG A. Sai Manohar.

The journalists narrated the entire incident in detail and demanded that Superintendent of Police Asit Yadav, SI Girish Sharma and Satyabir Singh should be immediately removed from their posts and strict legal action should be taken against them.

The Intelligence ADG assured the journalists that a high-level investigation will be conducted into the matter and the culprits will not be spared. He said, “The freedom and safety of journalists is of paramount importance and the department will work on it seriously.”

Protest by journalist organizations, called it an attack on democracy

Strongly condemning the incident, Royal Press Club President Pankaj Bhadoria said, “This is not just an attack on two journalists, it is a direct attack on the fourth pillar of democracy. If the police itself suppresses the voice of those who ask questions, then where will the society go?”

He demanded that-

SP Asit Yadav should be suspended immediately,

FIR should be lodged against SI Girish Sharma and Satyabir Singh and they should be arrested.

The victimised journalists should be given protection.

Congress called it murder of democracy

Congress state president Jeetu Patwari has strongly reacted to the brutality with the journalists of Bhind. He said that this incident is not just an attack on journalists but a direct murder of democracy. He alleged that the police is working under the pressure of the government and unbiased journalism is being crushed. Jeetu Patwari said that Congress will fight against this incident from the road to the House.

Leader of Opposition wrote a letter to DGP

While talking to The Muknayak, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said that after this incident, he has written a letter to the state’s Director General of Police and demanded a fair investigation. Umang Singhar said that he will raise this issue strongly in the Assembly. He clearly said, “Attack on journalists will not be tolerated under any circumstances. This is an attack on the foundation of democracy, which we will never accept.”

SP called the allegations baseless

Reacting to the allegations of assault on journalists, Bhind Superintendent of Police Asit Yadav told The Mooknayak that no such incident has taken place. He said, “Those who are making allegations have already filed a complaint in this matter and withdrawn it. Not only this, they themselves had made a video saying that no assault took place. Why are they now going to Bhopal and making such allegations is beyond comprehension. All the allegations are completely baseless.”

Is this incident not a crime under SC/ST Act?

Since the victim journalist Shashikant Goyal belongs to the Dalit community, and he was beaten up and abused after being asked about his caste, the incident is clearly an offence under the Scheduled Castes/Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Section 3(1)(r): Publicly insulting someone by using casteist words – Up to 5 years imprisonment.

Section 3(1)(s): Insulting or degrading in a public place – Punishment up to 5 years.

Section 3(2)(va): If other offence is committed on grounds of race – severe punishment.

Journalists were not disheartened

Though the victimised journalists are scared, Shashikant and Amarkant said they will not stop raising their voice. “If we remain silent, this cycle will not stop. We will fight the legal battle and also keep writing the truth,”

The beating of a Dalit journalist in front of the SP in Bhind after asking his caste has raised serious questions on the role of the police. The victim journalist alleges that the policemen on duty not only abused him on caste lines, but also beat him brutally after knowing his identity. This incident not only raises questions on law and order, but it is also a matter of investigation whether action will be taken against the accused policemen and responsible officers under the SC-ST Atrocities Prevention Act in this case?