A video of a Madhya Pradesh cop removing his uniform in front of his superiors and municipal corporation officials after he was allegedly threatened by a BJP leader has surfaced online, igniting political tensions. The incident happened seven months back on February 2 in Kotwali police station of Singrauli district, Madhya Pradesh.

Earlier this year, a dispute broke out between Assistant Sub-Inspector Vinod Mishra and local residents over the construction of a drain in the Kotwali police station area. After the altercation, municipal corporation officials and cops arrived at the scene to resolve the issue, following which, a meeting was held at the police station.

During the meeting, BJP leader Arjun Gupta, husband of a local councilor, allegedly threatened Mr Mishra that he will get his uniform removed. In response, Mr Mishra, seemingly agitated, took off his uniform shirt in front of everyone, including the town inspector and other officials. The entire incident was caught on CCTV. People present at the meeting can be seen trying to calm Mr Mishra down.

Following the incident, disciplinary action was taken against Mr Mishra for his conduct. In a statement after the video went viral on social media recently, Superintendent of Police (SP) Nivedita Gupta clarified that the matter was investigated months ago. “The ASI was reprimanded at the time, and it was found that he had some health issues and a land-related dispute with the councilor,” she said. She has also ordered an investigation into the leaking of CCTV footage after seven months and its circulation on social media.

The viral video has sparked a political storm, with the opposition Congress party latching onto the incident to criticize the ruling BJP. In a post on X, formerly twitter, the Madhya Pradesh Congress said, “This is the misuse of power! See how a BJP councilor’s husband threatened a uniformed police officer, forcing him to remove his uniform. Law and order in the state is at its lowest point, crime is out of control, and the police are either helpless or under political pressure.”

Katni:

A 35-year-old man shot dead his six-year-old son before taking his life with the same weapon, while his wife escaped unhurt from the firing in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district on Wednesday, police said.

The incident took place in the Nai Basti area under Kotwali police station limits in the morning, said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Santosh Dehariya.

He said Mayank Agrahari shot dead his son Shubh and also fired towards his wife Manvi Agrahari (30), who did not suffer any injuries as the bullet missed her. Mayank later shot himself dead, he said.

Police are yet to ascertain why Mayank took the extreme step, he said, adding that they are probing from all angles.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhopal:

A group of railway policemen were seen thrashing a teen and his grandmother on CCTV at a railway station in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni. The incident has sparked outrage on social media.

The men from the Government Railway Police (GRP) were interrogating the grandmother and her 15-year-old son over a suspected theft, reports said.

The group thrashed the woman first, and then turned towards his son, reports said.

The visuals show the teen lying on the ground while the GRP men hit him with a belt. Another man who is not in uniform is seen pulling the teen’s hair and shaking his head from side to side.

“The police asked me where’s my father. I didn’t know where he was. The police took me to the traffic inspector’s office. They then beat me up. They also hit my grandmother. They said my father has started stealing a lot,” the minor told reporters. “My father is only a labourer,” he said.

Katni SP Abhijeet Kumar Ranjan said they have launched an investigation headed by ASP Santosh Deharia to verify the video.

The Opposition Congress targetted the ruling BJP in the state over the incident, with former Chief Minister Kamal saying the incident shows Madhya Pradesh is unsafe for Dalits.

The police said it is an old incident involving the recovery of stolen jewellery. They said the GRP men seen in the video will be punished.

Bhopal:

The quality of several crucial medicines in Madhya Pradesh has come under scrutiny, leading to a state-wide ban on more than nine essential drugs and injections.

The Madhya Pradesh Public Health Service Corporation Limited (MPPHSCL) has identified these medicines as substandard, raising concerns about patient safety across all districts in the state.

NDTV has got a copy of a shocking report that exposed this life-threatening fraud.

The issue first came to light when doctors at a government hospital in Indore saw that patients were not responding to treatment as expected. This prompted an investigation into the medicines supplied by MPPHSCL, uncovering significant irregularities. A large batch of medicines, including life-saving drugs and antibiotics, was found to be of poor quality, prompting immediate action.

“Our team reported that many injections were not working as expected; those that should be administered once had to be given twice,” said Dr Sumit Shukla, Superintendent of Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College.

The situation turned dire in Damoh, where five pregnant women died after they took intravenous saline.

In response, MPPHSCL has banned the use of these medicines across the state.

“We have a comprehensive system to check all medicines procured or sold in the market. There is a full department and a laboratory dedicated to this task. When medicines are purchased, their certificates are thoroughly checked, and once the medicines arrive, samples are collected and sent to the laboratory for testing,” said state Health Minister Narendra Shivaji Patel, adding the government is committed to transparency and safety.

“Our doctors and laboratories have identified the suppliers or factories that produced these ineffective or potentially harmful medicines. This shows that our system is working effectively to protect public health. If any supplier is found attempting to distribute substandard medicines, they will be banned, blacklisted, and subjected to strict legal action. We will take all necessary steps to ensure that our citizens are not harmed,” Mr Patel said.

Despite strict regulations requiring NABL-certified lab reports for medicine supplies in government hospitals, the reality suggests a lapse in quality control. Many of the banned drugs, including those used in intensive care units (ICUs) and operation theatres, are still available in private shops, raising further concerns.

NDTV went to a medicine shop in Bhopal’s biggest government hospital, Hamidia, to uncover the ground reality of the availability of banned medicines. Despite the state’s recent crackdown on substandard drugs, NDTV was able to easily purchase Heparin and Nitroglycerin injections. These are part of the nine life-saving drugs recently banned due to quality concerns of the same manufacturer.

The process was disturbingly straightforward. We approached the medicine shop inside Hamidia Hospital, requested the injections, made the purchase, and received an official bill – all without any hindrance.

These injections, which are critical in emergency care settings such ICUs and operation theatres, were supposed to be banned following the state’s directive. The ease with which these injections were obtained at Hamidia is not an isolated incident. Our investigation extended to private shops outside JP Hospital, where the same banned injections were readily available.

“Many of these medicines are life-saving. In the ICU, we administer dopamine to patients with dangerously low blood pressure. Additionally, when a patient suffers a cardiac arrest, we use non-adrenaline during CPR. These medicines are crucial in emergency situations, and their quality must be impeccable,” said Dr Ashok Thakur of MY Hospital. “Any deficiency in these drugs can lead to adverse outcomes, putting patients’ lives at risk,” he said.

The real question remains – how long has this compromised quality persisted? With more than 90 per cent of hospitals in the state facing a shortage of essential medicines and the quality of supplied drugs in question, the situation is alarming.

A pair of black rubber slippers with the number 24 prominently painted on them in white helped trace the family of a mentally-challenged man found at Canning in West Bengal’s South 24-Parganas district.

The family of the man, identified as Suresh Mudiya, was traced to Belkhedi in Madhya Pradesh, thanks to the efforts of amateur radio operators.

Suresh was found sleeping on the roadside by villagers at Thakuraniberia in Canning-I Block.

What caught the villagers’ attention was the unique pair of slippers lying next to him, prompting them to get in touch with the Canning police station.

After carrying out a preliminary probe, Sougata Ghosh, the officer-in-charge at the police station, directed the villagers to get in touch with the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC), an organisation of amateur radio operators known for their acumen in reuniting mentally-challenged people with their families.

“We received a call from Rekaul Mandal, the husband panchayat pradhan Salma Mandal, who explained everything to us. We immediately realised that the slippers were of the kind worn by prisoners. The number on them refers to the designated cell.

“After a lot of effort, we traced the family to Narsimhapur in Madhya Pradesh. People there immediately recognised Suresh from his photograph but seemed hesitant to talk. One of them said the man was a murder convict and was serving life sentence. He also claimed that Suresh’s family had left the village,” said Ambarish Nag Biswas, Secretary, WBRC.

The operators then got in touch with prison authorities in Madhya Pradesh who confirmed that Suresh had been released from jail after serving a 20-year sentence. While leaving, he had been allowed to wear the slippers as he had no belongings of his own.

This led to another search. Finally, Suresh’s mother Kanti Bai Mudiya was traced who broke down on seeing her son’s photograph.

“She claimed that Suresh, in a fit of rage, had thrown off his brother-in-law from his motorcycle. The man died at a hospital after a week. Suresh had been convicted and sent to prison. He apparently received remission after his mental health condition started deteriorating.

“He left prison but could remember nothing. As is common with such people, he seems to have got on a train and reached West Bengal. His family had no clue. Suresh broke down on seeing his mother’s photograph and said that he wants to go back to her. His family members are on their way to Canning to take him back. We thank the villagers for providing him shelter and food,” Nag Biswas said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Gwalior:

A Class 9 student was allegedly abducted and raped in a moving car in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district last month, police said. According to officials, the incident occurred last month on the Gwalior-Shivpuri National Highway under the jurisdiction of Mohna police station.

When the family members came to know about the matter, they approached the police station and lodged a complaint. Acting on the complaint, a case was registered at Mohana police station in the relevant sections of the rape and POCSO Act, Gwalior ASP Niranjan Sharma told ANI on Friday.

“A police team was formed to nab the accused. The team caught the two accused, the rapist and his accomplice who shot the video. Both of them were being questioned. The vehicle used in the incident is also being seized and a team has been sent to nab the third accomplice. The accused are aged between 18 and 20 years,” Sharma said.

The accused also recorded a video of the assault and circulated the same on social media. When the minor girl told her family about the incident, they approached the police and lodged a complaint, Gwalior ASP Niranjan Sharma told ANI.

ASP Sharma further said that the 13-year-old girl, a Class 9 student, filed a complaint at Mohna police station. She said she had befriended a youth from Chinour about a year ago, who later introduced her to his friends. They maintained contact through chat, ASP Sharma told ANI.

On June 1, the accused came in a car with his two friends and called the girl to meet. After that they forcibly made her sit in the car and took her away, the officer said.

“One of the youth raped her on the back seat of the car. During this, one youth was driving the car; the other one was sitting on the seat next to the driver and was making a video of the incident. After committing the crime, the accused continuously attempted to blackmail the girl on the basis of the video. The accused also threatened to kill her but when the girl did not listen to them, the accused made her video viral,” ASP Sharma added.

Further investigation into the matter is underway, he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Two tiger cubs injured by a train on the Midghat railway track in Madhya Pradesh’s Budhni were successfully rescued by forest department officials. The incident occurred near pillar number 800/18 around noon on Monday and resulted in the death of an adult male tiger.

The rescue operation initially faced a major pushback when a tigress appeared near the injured cubs late in the evening during the treatment process. Her presence posed a significant risk to the team of doctors who arrived from Bhopal to treat the injured cubs.

The alarming presence of the tigress forced the forest department team to retreat. The tigress remained with her cubs throughout the night, adding emotional depth to the already tense situation.

Once the issue was resolved, the injured cubs were transferred to Bhopal for treatment using a single bogie train, specially arranged to transport them swiftly and safely.

The rescue mission was led by Sehore Collector Praveen Singh Adhayach and Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Magan Singh Dawar, who personally accompanied the injured cubs to the capital Bhopal.

Upon arrival in Bhopal, the cubs were immediately transferred to a rescue vehicle and taken to Van Vihar, where they are currently receiving intensive medical treatment.

The condition of the cubs is said to be critical, and veterinary experts are doing everything possible to ensure their recovery.

Indore:

A 60-year-old man was arrested in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday for allegedly killing a woman after a failed rape attempt, dismembering her body and dumping the parts in two trains, a police official said.

Accused Kamlesh Patel had lured her to his house when she was sitting at a railway station on June 6, the official said.

“The woman had left her home on June 6 after a fight with her husband. The woman was sitting at Ujjain railway station to go to Mathura when Patel lured her to his house and spiked her food with sleeping pills. He tried to rape her but she got up and raised an alarm.,” Railway Superintendent of Police Santosh Kori said.

“Patel strangled her, cut her body into pieces and placed it in the Indore-Nagda and Indore-Dehradun passenger trains. The hands and legs of the 37-year-old victim were found in a train in Rishikesh in Uttarakhand on June 10, while the rest of the body was recovered from a train in Indore on June 9,” he said.

Meanwhile, a missing person complaint was filed by her family in Bilpank police station in Ratlam district on June 12, Kori said.

Patel was held from Ujjain and the knife used in the crime has been recovered along with other evidence, the SP added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhopal:

The house of the man accused of raping a teenage girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain will be demolished tomorrow, as it was allegedly built illegally.

Videos of a 15-year-old girl, semi-naked and bleeding, going door-to-door for help, sparked outrage across the country last week. 

The accused, Bharat Soni, an auto-rickshaw driver, was arrested in the case on Thursday. Bharat is currently in jail awaiting trial. His family has been living in the house on government land for years, the Ujjain Municipal Corporation said.

Municipal Commissioner Roshan Singh said that the land belongs to the government and therefore no notice is needed for its demolition. The municipal body will take action tomorrow in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh police. Bharat was caught after a long investigation that involved reviewing footage from nearly 700 CCTV cameras.

“30-35 people were involved in the investigation. No one slept for three or four days,” Ajay Verma, a senior police officer, told NDTV.

‘Shockwaves’

On September 26, videos went viral on social media showing a minor girl, haggard, bleeding, and begging for help. A CCTV camera on Badnagar Road, about 15 km from Ujjain, captured the girl, draped in rags, going door-to-door, seeking assistance. The chilling footage, that sent shockwaves across the country, showed people shooing the girl away, as she approached them one after the other. 

READ |In Ujjain Rape Case, Those Who Didn’t Help Teen May Face Charges: Police

The minor girl, exhausted and traumatised with her body barely covered by a tattered cloth, aimlessly wandered the streets. Word of her agony reached an ashram not far from her location. A priest there, sensing that she had been sexually assaulted, draped her in a towel and rushed her to the nearby hospital. The medical examination confirmed her fears: she had been raped.

The girl’s injuries were severe, so she was rushed to Indore for specialised medical care. Police officers volunteered to donate blood when she needed it.

The accused, Bharat, was arrested three days later. The accused attempted to flee while reenacting the crime scene to collect evidence, including torn clothing but was swiftly caught. 

“We reached the spot to recover the clothes worn by the girl. Sensing an opportunity, Bharat Soni tried to escape. Police personnel chased and caught him. During this, he fell on a cemented road, injuring his arms and legs,” the police said.

‘Should Be Hanged’

Bharat’s father has called for the death penalty for his son, while the local bar association has urged its members to refuse to represent him in court.

“It is a shameful act. Neither have I gone to hospital to meet him, no will I go to the police station or courts. My son has committed a crime, therefore he should be hanged,” his father said.

Repercussions

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is gearing up for assembly elections in the state scheduled in November this year, vowed to prosecute the accused to the fullest extent of the law.

“The victim is the daughter of Madhya Pradesh. We will take care of her in every way. She is my daughter, as well as the state’s daughter and we will ensure that the accused gets stringent punishment,” he declared.

READ | “She Could’ve Been My Child”: Ujjain Rape Accused’s Father Seeks Death Penalty

The horrific incident has provided additional fodder to opposition parties to question the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led state government which is under pressure for its dismal record on violence against women.

According to National Crime Records Bureau data, Madhya Pradesh, with 6,462 cases, reported the most number of rape incidents in the country in 2021. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have reported the highest number of cases of disappearance of women and girls between 2019 and 2021. Of all the reported rape cases, 50 per cent were crimes against minors, NCRB data states. 

Sagar:

Three persons were arrested in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar city on Thursday after a video showing a woman being brutally thrashed at a bus stand went viral.

She was apparently deranged, a senior police official said.

The woman was dragged, beaten with sticks and kicked in the face even as her five-month-old infant lay on the ground nearby, the video showed.

Praveen Raikwar (26), Vicky Yadav (20) and Rakesh Prajapathi (40) were arrested by Gopalganj police on Thursday, said Additional Superintendent of Police Lokesh Sinha.

According to local sources, police paraded the accused on the road while taking them to the court which sent them in judicial custody.

As per the preliminary probe, the incident took place on the intervening night of August 12-13.

The middle-aged woman went to buy milk from the canteen at the bus stand. Something happened and three men in the canteen thrashed her, police said.

The video showed her begging for mercy and crying ‘Bhaiyya.. Bhaiyya’. The people around were heard asking the accused not to beat her.

Sagar Superintendent of Police Abhishek Tiwari claimed that the woman appeared to be deranged. Probe was on, he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)