In a shocking allegation labelled against the incumbent Bhupesh Baghel-led Government of Chhattisgarh, Ishwar Sahu, father of the deceased Bhuvneshwar Sahu (a youth brutally killed by a frenzied mob in Bemetara), has alleged that he was tricked by the Sub-divisional magistrate and block revenue officer who allegedly took his signature on a paper about acceptance of compensation money provided by the Government.
Interacting with the media, Sahu alleged that he was called up for a meeting, where SDM and the block revenue officer were already in attendance. They told me to sign a paper asserting that it is related to the development works of your village and already has the signatures of the village head and others. I didn’t want to sign that paper, but I signed it after they insisted. Later on, I learned that the paper I signed pertains to the compensation amount provided by the Government, which I had also refused in the past. They tricked me.
Others accused in the case have not been arrested, additionally whatever I want to mention in my statement against those who have been held so far is not being taken, while what I don’t say has been taken as my statement when I go to the Saaja police station for a Challan (receipt) police says come tomorrow and avoid my request, in such a scenario what can we expect from the Government, added Ishwar Sahu.
स्व. भुनेश्वर साहू के पिता कह रहे हैं कि भूपेश सरकार के नुमाइंदों ने हमसे झूठ बोलकर हस्ताक्षर लिया।
आखिर सरकार भुनेश्वर के हत्यारे जिहादियों को क्यों बचा रही है? pic.twitter.com/3O3V8OyJgX
— BJP Chhattisgarh (@BJP4CGState) August 14, 2023
Sahu alleged that Bhuvneshwar’s mother was also threatened by a youth from the Muslim community who said, “Till now, only one member of the Teli community has been killed in Biranpur; there would be others as well.” Further, when asked what he seeks in the matter, Sahu replied with a folded hand, “I don’t want any compensation or a job either; all I want is Justice.”
Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, Arun Sao, the Bharatiya Janata Party president of the Chhattisgarh unit who was also accompanying Sahu in the press meeting, said that “the father of late Bhuvneshwar Sahu was with us and was sharing his ordeal, he exposed the conspiracy of Baghel government of tricking him in an agreement, why does Bhupesh Baghel want to save the goons and Jihadis of Beeranpur?”
“Nor have I forgotten the Biranpur incident neither will I, the martyrdom of Bhuvneshwar Sahu could not be forgotten, the father of Bhuvneshwar Sahu is seeking Justice for his son though the officials of Baghel government tricked him”, added Sao in a series of tweets.
बीरनपुर की घटना को ना मैं भुला हूं, ना प्रदेश भुला है।भुनेश्वर साहू के बलिदान को नहीं भुलाया जा सकता।
स्व. भुनेश्वर साहू के पिता जो सिर्फ बेटे के इंसाफ की मांग करते हैं उनसे पंचनामा बताकर धोखे से भूपेश सरकार के अधिकारी छल पूर्वक नौकरी और राशि के सहमति पर हस्ताक्षर कराया..(१/२) pic.twitter.com/bC6KHxNaBe
— Arun Sao (@ArunSao3) August 13, 2023
The Biranpur incident
It is to be noted that the case pertains to the brutal murder of a youth identified as Bhuvneshwar Sahu of Biranpur village under Saaja police station limits of Bemetara district in Chhattisgarh on April 08 this year.
The cold-blooded murder of the youth occurred after a group of Islamists attacked the Hindu community over a minor scuffle between two students returning from school with a youth of the Muslim community. It was then reported that a group of people stabbed Bhuvneshwar Sahu, and when he fell unconscious, they took him along. Later his body was found lying in an open space.
Bhuvneshwar’s father, Ishwar Sahu, had earlier alleged that his son was murdered due to a four-month enmity aroused after a Muslim man married a girl from our community. He further alleged that the Hindus had a meeting’ Hindu Sabha’ after they took a girl from our society; thus, they wanted to take revenge.
It was also claimed that the reason behind the growing enmity between the two communities was due to the number of incidents of Love Jihad which had occurred in the region over a couple of years, which finally led to a violent clash between the groups in which Bhuvneshwar was killed.
The incident sparked massive outrage among the Hindu community in the state, following which calls were given for a statewide shutdown by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The shutdown call was also supported by the Bhilai Chamber of Commerce and the BJP, whose state president, Arun Sao, had also arrived at the village to meet the victim’s family.
Further, the matter got politically escalated after the victim’s father claimed that a local leader Anjor Singh, a close aide of Congress MLA Ravindra Chaubey, threatened to abduct each of the Teli (Sahu) community after the elections.
