MP: Cong-BJP play blame game as Dalit man set ablaze by 4 battles for life

Even as Dhanprasad Ahirwar, a 24-year-old Dalit man who was set ablaze by his neighbours in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday continues to battle for life, ruling Congress and Opposition BJP have been engaged in a war of words over the issue.

Madhya Pradesh: Political rivals Congress and the Bharatiya Janta Party continued to play the blame game even as 24-year-old Dalit man set ablaze in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday continues to battle for life.

Dhanprasad Ahirwar was doused in kerosene and set on fire by his neighbours Chhuttu, Ajju Pathan, Kallu and Irfan, and is battling for life in Bhopal's Hamidia Hospital with over 70 percent burns, Motinagar police station in-charge Sangita Singh said on Saturday.

Ahirwar had filed a police complaint over a dispute and the accused were forcing him to take it back, Singh said, adding that Chhuttu, Ajju Pathan, Kallu and Irfan had been arrested.

Leader of Opposition in the MP Assembly Gopal Bhargava visited Ahirwar in Hamidia Hospital and claimed crimes against Dalits were increasing under the Kamal Nath-led Congress government.

State BJP president Rakesh Singh said Ahirwar had told police three times that his life was in danger but he got no help from the authorities.

He said police did not act on Ahirwar's apprehensions because of the Congress-led government's vote-bank politics and appeasement policy.

"Though 15-20 people set Ahirwar on fire, only four have been arrested. This is because of appeasement," he added.

Congress' MP unit, meanwhile, hit out at the BJP and said it was giving communal colour to every issue.

"The BJP needs to change its perception of seeing communal politics in every issue.

This is a criminal case and the police have arrested the accused immediately," MP Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said.