Guna: At least one of the eight poachers involved in the killing of three policemen in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, was out on bail after committing a similar offence in 2020 against the forest department, ThePrint has learnt.
In the early hours of 13 May, three police personnel — Neeraj Bhargava, Rajkumar Jatav and Santram Meena — were killed after they confronted a group of suspected poachers in Guna’s Aaron tehsil.
“There have always been skirmishes between the forest department and the public, but this is the first time the police have been attacked in such a brutal way,” said D. Sreenivasa Varma, the newly appointed inspector general (IG) of Gwalior, under whose jurisdiction Guna falls. Four of the eight accused are still at large.
The police recovered the severed heads of four endangered blackbucks, along with the carcasses of a few deer and a peacock from the accused.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered the removal of the erstwhile IG of Gwalior and announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families affected by the tragedy. Police have already killed three of the accused in alleged encounters, and arrested another two.
The state government also razed the houses of the accused — all Muslims — a day after the attack, describing them as “encroachments”.
The case has once again brought to light the dangers faced by security personnel against poachers who often target endangered species.
Also read: In message against poaching, Assam to burn 2,479 recovered rhino horns on World Rhino Day
Forest personnel speak up
Around 2.30 am on 13 May, the Aaron police station was tipped off by an informer that poachers were crossing the area, and three personnel set out for the forest where they were shot.
“The night of the incident, the accused managed to snatch one of the police rifles too. We’ve formed police parties to nab the others, and we are looking for the rifle,” said IG Varma.
Naushad, one of the accused, was killed during the crossfire and his brother Shehzad was killed in an encounter shortly afterwards. Two others, Jiya Khan and Sonu, were arrested and shot in the legs after they allegedly attempted to flee police custody.
Among those on the run is Vicky who, two years ago, trained his gun at members of the forest department.
“When we tried to stop them, they pulled out a desi bandook (local firearm) and started firing. I dodged a bullet,” said a forest officer who did not wish to be named about the 2020 incident. “It could have been us (who were killed) two years ago, and we don’t have authority like the police to fire a gun.”
Vicky was charged under several sections of the IPC, including Section 336 (endangering human life), as well as the Wildlife Protection Act, but was granted bail in September 2021 to free up prison space.
“All we have are sticks to defend ourselves. We need guns, but we also need the power to use them without cases being slapped on us,” said another forest officer.
Forest guards in India can only use firearms in self-defence, which may need to be proven in a court of law if necessary.
Bulldozed houses
All the eight men accused of attacking the police team live in Budhauriya village, which is divided along religious lines. When ThePrint visited, the village was surrounded by dozens of police personnel, keeping strict vigil.
Mounds of rubble, where the houses of the suspects once stood, littered the place. A day after the attack, the state government demolished the houses of the alleged perpetrators, claiming they were encroachments — while keeping their neighbours’ houses perfectly intact.
Last month, the Madhya Pradesh government had also bulldozed “illegal shops” after communal violence broke out in Khargone.
Most men fled the village that day, fearing for their lives, the women left behind told ThePrint.
“When the police came, they rained bullets all over our fields. They beat me, they beat our children. They demolished our whole house — why? Is it only our house that’s on encroached land?” asked Fehmida, Naushad’s sister-in-law, standing next to what remained of her house.
She’s now staying with her neighbour Samina, whose house, a few metres away, was untouched.
Residents of the village indicated that shikaar — hunting — occurred in the area, but vehemently denied knowing anyone involved. Forest officers said hunting was undertaken in Guna for meat and not trade. According to the police, the haul the poachers were caught with that night was for a wedding.
The villagers also alleged that it wasn’t just men from their community who were involved — they said the Hindu sarpanch’s sons were also with the eight accused that night.
“Whether it happens or not, this village is blamed. It happens in all the villages around here, but you’ll find just one name crops up again and again — Budhauriya,” said Shahnu Khan, one of the few men who didn’t flee the area.
Asked about the alleged anti-encroachment drive, IG Varma said “it is another department that decides what is an encroachment and what is not”. “But I do believe that if a structure is encroached, the encroachment ought to be removed,” he added.
A grieving family
Back in Guna, men sat on a chatai surrounding a garlanded portrait of head constable Neeraj Bhargava. His mother drifted in and out of consciousness, and his wife — six months pregnant — was inconsolable.
Neeraj’s father also died while serving as a police officer, and Neeraj became a policeman after being promised a job by the department. In his death, he leaves behind a 13-year-old son in a similar position.
“The boy is in the 8th standard now. If they promise that they will give him a job, we will prepare him for it,” said Neeraj’s younger brother Vikas, sitting beside the boy.
Vikas said the family had heard of the Rs 1 crore compensation through the news, but no one had yet discussed the technicalities of the transfer with them. With Neeraj being the only earning member, the family hopes the government will also give one member a job.
“We have a right to compensation, and since it has been announced, we expect it to be delivered. We want the investigation to be conducted fairly and justly,” he said.
IG Varma said “the compensation will be processed soon”. “It’s up to the government to sanction it quickly, but usually these things happen within a month,” he added.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also read: ‘Message to rioters’ or ‘anti-encroachment drive’ — what exactly happened in Khargone after riot