Plea in Supreme Court for CBI probe into alleged role of ex-MP Home Minister in Dalit family killings

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the State of Madhya Pradesh and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to a plea seeking a CBI probe into the murder of three members of a Dalit family and the alleged involvement of Madhya Pradesh's former Home Minister Bhupendra Singh in the killings..A Bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Aravind Kumar issued notice on the plea filed by the mother (petitioner) of a 20-year-old Dalit woman, who was murdered along with the petitioner's brother-in-law in May 2024. A year earlier, the petitioner's son was also allegedly killed by the same group of people. .The murders were allegedly committed as part of a string of retaliatory acts after the petitioner's daughter filed a criminal complaint in 2019 against certain members from the dominant, Thakur community. "Since (the petitioner's daughter) registered an FIR against the molestation and violence she endured, her entire family has been subjected to constant pressure and intimidation. Tragically, (her) brother Nitin, her uncle Rajindra, and (she) herself have been murdered. Additionally, false cases have been filed against (her) elder brother, Vishnu," the plea says. The petitioner claims that former Home Minister of Madhya Pradesh Bhupendra Singh is closely connected to the persons who committed these crimes, and was behind the murder of her family members. .Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves and Advocate Meenesh Dubey appeared for the petitioner before the Supreme Court. The petition was filed through Dubey & Chandra Law Chambers and drawn by Advocate Manik Gupta. .By way of background, in 2019 complaint, the petitioner's daughter accused four villagers from the Thakur community of beating her, molesting her and hurling abuses when she went out for defecation. They also allegedly threatened to kill her if she filed a complaint. The petitioner's daughter was 15 years old at the time.The petitioner claims that instead of proceeding against the accused in this complaint, the police arrested one of her sons, Vishnu, in a false case.In 2023, the persons who molested her daughter allegedly killed the petitioner's other son, 18-year-old Nitin. A criminal complaint was filed the same year. However, the petitioner claims that key allegations were omitted from the first information report (FIR), including that the petitioner was disrobed and beaten during the incident. Her daughter was also allegedly beaten up, their house was looted and their pet killed. The FIR also allegedly omitted the name of an accused, Ankit Singh Thakur, as he was the head of a political party's youth wing and had close ties to former home minister Bhupendra Singh. The others mentioned in the FIR are also closely connected to the said Minister, the petitioner said..The petitioner's daughter later sent applications calling for the inclusion of Ankit Singh Thakur's name in the 2023 FIR. She also informed that her family was being constantly threatened to compromise the case. The plea adds that the petitioner's daughter was even called to the residence of Bhupendra Singh, who allegedly offered her ₹2 crores to compromise the case.The petitioner's daughter and brother-in-law were key witnesses in the ongoing trial of this case. However, both were killed in May 2024.The petitioner says that her brother-in-law, Rajendra, was first beaten to death. A day later, when the petitioner's daughter was travelling in an ambulance with the police carrying her uncle's corpse, she too was killed, allegedly by the police. The police claimed that she had fallen off the ambulance. .The petitioner says that Bhupendra Singh is behind these killings."One after the other, three members of a family were killed with the police extending full assistance to the accused persons only because the former State Home Minister and his group was behind the killings. Resultantly, no prosecution of the accused persons is possible in the State of Madhya Pradesh," the plea added.The petitioner has, therefore, prayed for a CBI probe into the matter.The Court has also been urged to transfer the criminal proceedings in the 2019 and 2023 cases from Madhya Pradesh to Delhi, citing fears of retaliation and bias in the current investigation..The petitioner argued that the local police has failed to conduct an impartial investigation."The sabotage of the investigation and the killing of eyewitnesses were the result of a criminal conspiracy, which involved members of the village dominant community headed by the former home minister of the State of MP. Due to the power and influence of the accused, three family members, who were important witnesses in the criminal conspiracy against the Dalit family, have already been murdered in the span of 1 year,'' the petition stated..The plea also expressed concerns for the safety of the petitioner, other eyewitnesses and remaining family members.''The former Home Minister, being a politically powerful figure ... is influencing and threatening the witnesses. This Writ Petition seeks an appropriate Writ, Order, or Direction for the transfer of the case. This request is made in light of the complete failure of the police authorities in Madhya Pradesh to conduct an unbiased and fair investigation, as well as to protect the witnesses," it said.