Six GRP Officers Suspended for Assaulting Dalit Woman and Grandson

Kusum Vanshkar, the 55-year-old woman seen in the video, had written to Madhya Pradesh CM & SHRC complaining that the GRP registered a ‘fake’ case of theft against her son Deepak.

Bhopal: On Thursday, six personnel from the Government Railway Police (GRP), including a female constable, were suspended and transferred after a video from October 2023 surfaced, showing them assaulting a Dalit woman and her grandson inside a police station in Katni, Madhya Pradesh.

The suspension followed a complaint by Kusum Vanshkar, the 55-year-old woman in the video, who wrote to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and the state human rights commission on August 27. She alleged that the GRP had fabricated a theft case against her son, Deepak.

According to Kusum, on October 29 of the previous year, the GRP came to their home and forcibly took her and her 15-year-old grandson, Deepraj, to the police station. She claimed that Inspector Aruna Vahane dragged her by her hair and other officers beat Deepraj to coerce them into admitting Deepak’s guilt.

Another video reportedly showed five officers restraining Deepraj while a sixth beat him with a stick. The authenticity of these videos could not be independently verified by ThePrint.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav tweeted that he had promptly instructed a senior officer to investigate the matter once the video came to his attention.

Kusum also claimed that the following day, she was presented before a magistrate while Deepraj was left behind. Both were hospitalized for five days to treat injuries from the assault. She accused the GRP of ignoring her complaint and pressuring her to withdraw it or face false charges related to drug and weapon sales.

In response to the public outcry over the videos, the GRP launched an inquiry. Superintendent of Police, GRP-Jabalpur, Shimla Prasad, arrived in Katni on Thursday to investigate. He informed the media that Deepak had a criminal record with 19 cases and a reward of Rs 10,000 for his capture. The GRP had summoned the family for questioning in connection with his record. While Kusum has no criminal charges, Deepraj had a pending case from last year.

The senior officer confirmed that the five GRP personnel were temporarily reassigned while the investigation proceeds. Detailed statements are being collected, and appropriate actions will be taken based on the inquiry’s findings.