Nemawar: The CBI has registered a case against nine people in connection with the Nemawar mass murder case in which five members of a tribal family – including three minors – were killed and buried in May last year. The brutal killings had triggered a storm in the state, with the ruling party facing heavy criticism from the opposition and tribal organisations.
The bodies of Mamta Bai, her daughters Rupali (21) and Diwa (14) and their cousins Pooja (15) and Pawan (14) were dug up from 12-foot-deep graves in the farmhouse of their alleged killer on June 28th, 2021. They were missing since May 14th that year. Accused Surendra Singh Rajput allegedly had an affair with Rupali and murdered her and her relatives because she fiercely opposed his engagement with another woman, say police.
Police say the pits were dug in advance to hide evidence of the murders. An autopsy found that all of them had been strangled. Congress demanded a CBI probe, alleging the government’s patronage of the accused. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh wrote to CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan to hand over the probe to CBI or SIT. Former CM Kamal Nath met the victims’ kin in Nemawar and accused the BJP government of trying to suppress the matter.
Home minister Narottam Mishra criticized Nath’s remarks as a “reflection of Congress’ vulture politics”. It was only on December 28th, six months after bodies were dug up, and that the MP government recommended a CBI investigation & requested the Centre transfer the FIR to CBI. In April, DoPT gave consent to transfer the case, following which CBI, ACB, and Bhopal branch registered an FIR on May 9th against Surendra Singh Rajput and eight other accused.