Madhya Pradesh: Dalit Sarpanch Kicked, Beaten Up For Unfurling National Flag

An elderly Dalit sarpanch was allegedly manhandled by an upper-caste secretary of the gram panchayat as the former hoisted the flag on the occasion of Independence Day on Sunday. The incident took place in Bundelkhand of Madhya Pradesh. 

Locals contacted Hannu Basor, sarpanch of village Dhamchi in Chhatarpur, and told him that he should hoist the National Flag because the secretary, Sunil Tiwari, had not arrived the village in the morning. Then Hannu Basor unfurled the flag at the panchayat headquarters as well as the school.

When Tiwari arrived in the village, he was so angry to hear that the sarpanch had not waited for him and had hoisted the flag. "When Secretary Saab arrived, he questioned why did you hoist the flag, and I said because residents insisted on it," the sarpanch stated, adding that the secretary kicked him and he fell to the ground.

When the sarpanch's wife and daughter-in-law went to help him, the secretary beat them up too, then he fled on his four-wheeler, according to the elderly man, who later filed a complaint with the Orchha Road police station.

Kattu Bai, the wife of Sarpanch, confirmed that she and her daughter-in-law were also hit by the secretary when they tried to save the old man.