Dalit youth murdered over ration dispute; Rahul says Bahujan people facing violence under Modi govt
Chhatarpur (MP), Jun 9 (PTI): A 19-year-old Dalit youth died after he was allegedly shot during an altercation at a ration shop in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, while his brother received pellet injuries, police said on Monday.
Condemning the incident, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that 19-year-old Pankaj Prajapati was shot dead in broad daylight only because he is a Dalit who demanded his share of rights.
Taking to X, he alleged that 11 years of the Modi government have been full of humiliation, violence and discrimination against Dalits, tribals, backward classes, and minorities.
The incident occurred on Sunday in Bilhari village under the Naugaon police station area, about 25 km from the Chhatarpur district headquarters, police said.
According to police, a dispute broke out between Pankaj Prajapati and three others while buying goods from the fair price shop, during which one of them fired a gun.
"Pankaj Prajapati died on the way to Gwalior," said Naugaon Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Amit Meshram.
He said a case has been registered against Praveen alias Kattu Pateria, Naveen Pateria, and salesman Ramsevak Arjaria under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Arms Act.
Police raided the houses of the accused persons, however, they managed to flee. A police team has been formed to trace them.
Gandhi, meanwhile, alleged that no FIR was registered and postmortem was postponed because "the guilty leader is sitting in the lap of power and the power belongs to the Manuwadi and anti-Bahujan BJP".
"The 11 years of the Modi government have been full of humiliation, violence and discrimination against Dalits, tribals, backward and minorities. The conspiracy to institutionally make them second-class citizens and keep them away from the mainstream is continuing," he said.
Gandhi demanded that culprits be arrested immediately and given the harshest punishment.
"I stand with the Prajapati family and every Bahujan in the country. This is a fight for respect, justice and equality, and we will win this fight at all costs," he added.
मध्यप्रदेश में 19 साल के पंकज प्रजापति को सिर्फ़ इसलिए सरेआम गोली मार दी गई - क्योंकि उसने दलित होकर अपने हिस्से का हक़ मांगा।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 9, 2025
FIR दर्ज नहीं की गई, पोस्टमार्टम टाल दिया गया - क्योंकि गुनहगार नेता सत्ता की गोद में बैठा है और सत्ता मनुवादी और बहुजन विरोधी BJP की है।
मोदी सरकार के… https://t.co/8rlTvCnMIV
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Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
Vienna (AP): Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe.
HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide further updates as verified details come in.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18.
It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand's baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
