Jabalpur, Feb 13 (IANS) The tragic death of a young trader whose shop was bulldozed by the administration in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, has triggered a political controversy, with the Opposition demanding an investigation and adequate compensation to the deceased man’s family.
According to information, Mintu Agarwal (39) a cloth trader collapsed and fell to the ground when a team of revenue officials of the district administration along with the police, demolished his shop in Bargi area in the city on Thursday.
Mintu was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital and the doctors said that he had suffered a cardiac arrest.
He died during treatment on Thursday night, following which the family members and other shop owners staged a protest at the police station late in the night.
Enraged traders and locals demanded an FIR against the officials for culpable homicide and compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family. The protest ended late at night after receiving assurance from authorities.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari on Friday criticised the district administration’s action, stating that taking away a family’s livelihood, dreams, and support in an instant is a symbol of “insensitive governance”.
The Congress leader raised questions asking if the Jabalpur district administration ignored a stay order from the High Court regarding that particular shop? Patwari said, “If there was a stay order, why was it ignored? The government should answer.”
In a statement, the Congress leader said, “I urge Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to take strict action against the responsible officials and ensure that the victim’s family receives justice and a respectable compensation.”
Meanwhile, videos surfaced on media showing that when Mintu was preparing to open the shop on Thursday morning, a team of revenue officials, accompanied by police personnel came to him and gave him a 10-minute ultimatum to vacate the shop.
“We were never informed. Give us at least two hours,” Manoj (Mintu’s brother could be heard pleading with the officials.
In the meantime, Mintu, who was shifting the goods with his brother and other staff, suddenly collapsed and was rushed to hospital where he died during treatment.
–IANS
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