Kolkata, Oct 6: BJP Maldaha Uttar MP Khagen Murmu and MLA Shankar Ghosh were brutally attacked by miscreants on Monday while on their way to meet the North Bengal landslides-affected people and distribute relief materials.

While Ghosh sustained minor bruises, the two-time BJP MP sustained serious injuries to his face and head.

The incident took place in Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district of North Bengal. The BJP MP was seen covered in blood, with a big injury on the left side of his face.

The BJP MP was immediately rushed to a primary health centre for treatment. The miscreants also pelted stones at their vehicles and continued to attack with slippers, sticks and bricks until they were escorted out of the area by their security guards.

In a video message from his convoy, which was attacked by the miscreants, BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh said, “This is how we have been attacked. Not a single window of our car is intact. People pelted stones and bricks at us. Our MP is seriously injured. Total anarchy is prevailing in West Bengal.”

Following the attack on the BJP MP, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari slammed the Mamata Banerjee government and Trinamool Congress for orchestrating the attack.

He wrote on his X handle, “Mamata Banerjee is on full Panic Mode. She has realized it (quite late) that the people of West Bengal have despised her inhuman act of ‘Dancing at Carnival with Celebrities’ when North Bengal was reeling under floods and landslides, with many people losing their lives and thousands left shelterless.”

“In contrast, @BJP4Bengal MLAs & MPs were on ground doing their bit to provide relief to the affected People. So, she has now pressed the panic button and has now unleashed her goons belonging from the ‘Special Community’ and incited them to attack the BJP MPs and MLAs so that they can be refrained from engaging in relief work,” he said.

The BJP leader further said, “MP Shri Khagen Murmu was brutally attacked and has been left with bloody injuries in Nagrakata today when he was accompanying @BJP4Bengal President Shri Samik Bhattacharya to the flood affected areas. MLA Dr Shankar Ghosh’s vehicle also came under attack in the presence of Police. Mamata Banerjee, you can’t intimidate BJP.”

Following days of incessant rain, which resulted in massive landslides killing at least 23 people as reported till Monday morning, the weather changed in the hills this morning. The rescue operations gained pace after the weather cleared, with many tourists, who were stranded, also coming down the hills.

Union Minister of State for Education and DoNER, Sukanta Majumdar, also slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for her failure to ensure security to an elected MP.

“Failed Chief Minister Smt. Mamata Banerjee, who, even after receiving news yesterday of the catastrophic devastation in North Bengal and the tragic loss of many lives, was seen celebrating on the Carnival stage at Red Road, has clearly shown how fearful she has become of the BJP West Bengal workers and leaders who have been tirelessly conducting rescue and relief operations on the ground since yesterday,” he said on his X handle.

“Today in Nagrakata, while BJP MP Shri @khagen_murmu and @ShankarGhoshBJP, MLA and the chief opposition whip in the West Bengal Assembly were inspecting flood-affected areas and distributing relief, they were brutally attacked in the presence of the Mamata-police. Chief Minister @MamataOfficial, the people of Bengal will never forget this cowardice and shamelessness. From yesterday until today, the people of Bengal will punish every one of your immoral and inhuman acts of brutality. Shame!” Majumdar added.

Rishab Shetty starrer Kantara Chapter 1 has done an exceptional business at the box office during its extended first weekend. The film took a bumper opening of Rs. 61.85 crore (all languages), but on Friday, it showed a drop of around 26% and collected Rs. 45.40 crore (all languages). However, once again on Saturday and Sunday, the movie showed a huge jump.

On its third day, the film collected Rs. 55 crore (all languages), and according to Sacnilk, on its day four, Sunday, Kantara 2 collected approximately Rs. 61.5 crore (all languages). So, during its extended first weekend, Kantara Chapter 1 has minted around Rs. 224.05 crore (all languages), which is an excellent amount.

While Kantara Chapter 1 is originally a Kannada film, it has been dubbed and released in multiple languages, including Hindi. The movie’s Hindi dubbed version has been getting a fantastic response. In fact it is performing better than the original version. In four days, the Hindi version has collected around Rs. 74 crore, which is surely a very good number.

However, now, all eyes are on Monday. It will be interesting to see if the film will pass the Monday test or not. While of course, there will be a drop, we can expect a double-digit number.

Kantara Chapter 1 is reportedly made on a budget of Rs. 125 crore. So, if we compare the budget and the collection, the movie is already a blockbuster.

Reviewer gave 3.5 stars to Kantara Chpater 1, and wrote, “Considering that Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1 is being released on Dussehra, it could just work in the film’s favour in addition to its loyal audience and word of mouth. The flip side, however, is the lack of required publicity and awareness of the film, which could act as a roadblock. Overall, if you want to experience the unfolding of cinema’s magic, this film earns our recommendation!”

Bhopal, Oct 6: In a dramatic turn of events that underscores the Supreme Court’s unyielding push for accountability in custodial violence cases, one of the two key accused police officers in the tragic death of 26-year-old Deva Pardhi has surrendered to authorities in Madhya Pradesh, mere hours before the apex court’s self-imposed deadline for their arrest on October 7.

The development comes amid mounting judicial scrutiny and could prevent a high-stakes contempt showdown scheduled for tomorrow.

Town Inspector (TI) Sanjeet Singh Mawai, who had evaded capture for over a year, walked into the Badarwas police station in Shivpuri district late on Sunday evening, effectively ending a gruelling manhunt that had drawn sharp rebukes from the nation’s highest court.

This surrender follows the recent arrest of his co-accused, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Uttam Singh, nabbed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Indore just over a week ago.

Mawai’s voluntary appearance is seen as a direct response to the Supreme Court’s October 7 ultimatum, potentially sparing senior officials – including state Chief Secretary, from being hauled into court for failing to comply with its directives.

The case, which has become a stark symbol of police impunity and the perils faced by marginalised communities in custody, originated in the dusty lanes of Guna district, Madhya Pradesh, on July 15, 2024.

Deva Pardhi, a young tribal man from the nomadic Pardhi community, was gearing up for what should have been the joyous culmination of his life — a traditional wedding procession to his bride’s village.

Dressed in his wedding finery, Deva and his uncle, Gangaram Pardhi, were bundled into a vehicle – a tractor and trolley in which they had to proceed for the ‘baraat.’ Police took them under the pretext of routine questioning in a petty theft case involving ₹8 lakh stolen from nearby Bhidra village.

Tragically, the very tractor-trolley meant to ferry the wedding party was repurposed by the police to transport the duo to the Myana Police Station, turning a day of celebration into one of unimaginable grief.

Hours later, the bridegroom Deva was dead, plunging the community in grief.

The official narrative from the Madhya Pradesh Police painted a picture of sudden misfortune; a fatal cardiac arrest in custody. However, Deva’s family, shattered and suspicious, pointed out brutal torture at the hands of the officers on duty.

Autopsy reports and eyewitness accounts from Gangaram, who survived the ordeal, painted a harrowing picture of beatings, electric shocks, and relentless interrogation tactics designed to extract confessions for crimes the duo had no connection to.

The incident’s fallout was immediate and visceral. Deva’s distraught bride, unable to bear the loss, attempted suicide by self-immolation outside the police station, only to be rushed to Guna District Hospital along with other grieving relatives who tried to follow suit.

Protests erupted across the region, with tribal rights activists decrying it as yet another instance of systemic violence against Adivasi communities, whose members are often stereotyped as habitual offenders and subjected to extrajudicial excesses.

The family’s desperate plea for justice landed in the Supreme Court, where a petition exposed glaring lapses in the initial Magisterial enquiry ordered by the state government — a probe that critics dismissed as a whitewash.

On May 15, 2025, a pivotal Bench led by Justice B.V. Nagarathna delivered a scathing indictment of the local police’s handling of the investigation.

Citing evidence of tampering, witness intimidation, and deliberate concealment, the court transferred the probe to the CBI and issued a crystal-clear mandate: “The police officials found responsible for the custodial death shall be arrested forthwith and not later than a period of one month.”

This order wasn’t just procedural; it was a clarion call against the “blue wall of silence” shielding errant officers, emphasising that custodial deaths erode the very foundation of constitutional rights under Article 21.

Yet, as weeks turned into months, compliance faltered. By September 2025, with neither Mawai nor Uttam Singh in custody despite their suspension on September 24 — four months after they allegedly went underground — the victim’s mother, in a bold act filed a contempt petition.

The plea accused the CBI and the Madhya Pradesh government of willful disobedience, alleging a nexus that allowed the accused to roam free while drawing salaries and even filing anticipatory bail applications.

The Supreme Court’s hearings in late September were nothing short of a judicial thunderbolt. On September 23, the Bench of Justices Nagarathna and R Mahadevan — known for their no-nonsense approach to human rights violations — pulled no punches.

“More than four months have passed, and the direction of the court has not been complied with. It appears that you are protecting the officers,” the Bench thundered at the state’s counsel.

Justice Nagarathna probed deeper: “You were impleaded as a party in the (May 15) order. This is contempt of the order of the Supreme Court by the State government. How can the State sanction salaries for persons who were directed to be arrested?”

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) K.M. Natraj, representing the CBI, and Aishwarya Bhati for the state, faced a barrage of questions.

ASG Raja Thakare detailed the agency’s exhaustive efforts; physical surveillance, financial transaction tracking, toll plaza vehicle monitoring, social media scrutiny, and raids on known hideouts. The CBI had even upped the ante with a ₹2 lakh reward per head for credible tips, announced on September 24. However, the Bench remained unmoved.

“What is the meaning of this? This is all eyewash,” Justice Nagarathna retorted, dismissing the measures as superficial.

Justice Mahadevan also expressed his ire, “You are part of the State administration. When a grave crime takes place, how can you wash away your responsibility? You are protecting the officers who were directed to be arrested. How can they have the audacity to file anticipatory bail pleas against an order of the Supreme Court?”

The court’s frustration peaked with accusations of “aggravated contempt.” It warned of summoning the CBI Director, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary, and the Additional Superintendent of Police overseeing the probe.

“Your helplessness feels in the garb of protection,” Justice Nagarathna observed, rejecting pleas of operational hurdles. In a bid to jolt the system into action against the police, the Bench set a hard deadline: Arrests by October 7, or the Investigating Officer and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department would be personally summoned on October 8.

The matter was listed for further hearing on September 26. On September 26, ASI Uttam Singh, 42, was apprehended in Indore after surrendering at a special CBI court. Sources indicate he had been holed up in the city, relying on a network of sympathisers, but the reward announcement and intensified surveillance forced his hand.

Interrogations revealed preliminary leads on Mawai’s movements, including cryptic social media posts hinting at his distress over the mounting heat.

By October 5, Intelligence pointed to Shivpuri as his likely bolt-hole, leading to his pre-dawn surrender. “He came in quietly, citing family pressure and fear of escalation,” a senior Shivpuri police official told reporters, adding that Mawai was immediately handed over to the CBI for custody remand.

Both officers now face charges under Sections 302 (murder), 330 (causing hurt to extort confession), and 193 (fabricating false evidence) of the IPC, alongside provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

In a parallel development, Guna police on October 5 nabbed dismissed Sub-Inspector Ramveer Singh Kushwaha, who had dodged arrest for over two-and-a-half years.

Kushwaha stands accused of witness tampering in the 2022 murder of Atmaram Pardhi — believed to be a relative of Deva — another case shrouded in controversy and stalled probes.

Despite securing bail in the murder charge from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, his anticipatory bail in the intimidation matter was pending. Acting on social media surveillance showing Kushwaha rallying supporters in Guna, Superintendent of Police Ankit Soni deployed a crack team that swooped in on Sunday night.

“This is a testament to zero tolerance for those undermining justice,” Soni stated, linking the arrest to broader efforts post the Supreme Court’s Guna scrutiny.

The Guna cluster of cases—encompassing Deva’s death, Atmaram’s unsolved killing, and the eight-year disappearance of Geeta (a potential witness in related matters)—highlights a disturbing pattern.

Activists point to the Pardhi community’s vulnerability, often targeted under draconian anti-nomad laws, with custodial deaths in Madhya Pradesh rising to 15 per cent in 2024 as per NCRB data.

As Deva’s mother, who has led a tireless campaign from her modest Bilakhedi home, awaits October 8, hearing, a sliver of hope pierces the grief.