Dalit woman dies of suspicious circumstances after brother, uncle beaten to death

Almost a year after her brother was beaten and killed for trying to get justice for her, Anjana Ahirwar has been found dead after allegedly falling from an ambulance. She was taking her uncle’s body, who had died after being beaten up, in the ambulance. She fell from an ambulance transporting her uncle’s body and passed away on May 26, as per PTI.

The victim’s uncle, 24 year old Rajendra Ahirwar was beaten to death, reports suggest it happened due to ‘old feuds’.

In August 2023, Sabrang India has covered how Anjana Ahirwar, who had filed an FIR stating that her brother Nitin Ahirwar was beaten and killed on August 24, 2023, by the same people who had harassed her in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar. Her brother’s death had led to protests, including a sit-in protest by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in Barodia Nonagir village. Her family had claimed that they had been constantly pressured and threatened to take back a complaint of harassment that the victim had reportedly filed. After she refused to take back the complaint, the attackers came to her house and beat the family, including the brother, up. Their mother was also attacked as she tried to save her son and the attackers even attempted to disrobe her. The mother had told the police that it was the Thakurs who had attacked them and they had connections to members of local governance such as the panchayat and the parshad.

Similarly, according to journalist Anil Tiwari, the accused is a BJP Leader.

According to Additional Superintendent of Police Lokesh Sinha, Anjana fell from the ambulance while carrying the body of Rajendra Ahirwar to their village after the postmortem in Sagar. Sinha has stated that an investigation is going on.

Recently, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh met with the family, and urged to the media that the district administration must be held accountable and changed, “I’m highly disappointed with the District Admin, who not only failed to protect the family but also didn’t fulfil the promises made in August 2023.” Singh also expressed sadness at her death, stating that she was an educated woman taking care of her family. Singh has claimed that the accused have been receiving political protection.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has called out the BJP, “The people of BJP are after the Constitution because they do not want that women of the country, Dalits, tribals and backward people should live with dignity, nor their complaints heard anywhere.” The Congress party too has decried the incident and has accused the BJP of shielding the accused.

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