Bhopal- A Dalit village was set on fire in Gohta, Vijaypur, following the conclusion of voting for the state Assembly by-election on Wednesday night. The incident has sparked allegations of inaction by police against the perpetrators.

According to reports, miscreants instigated a disturbance in the village, resorting to stone-pelting and vandalism. Fear-stricken villagers sought refuge at the local police station. Vijaypur police station in-charge Pappu Singh Yadav confirmed that police teams intervened to control the situation, attributing the violence to a conflict between two groups.

This incident follows a series of violent events surrounding the Vijaypur by-election. On Wednesday, polling was marred by clashes between groups in Veerpur area, resulting in injuries to two to three individuals. Allegations of booth capturing were also made.

The by-election, necessitated by the resignation of former Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat, who later joined the ruling BJP and was elevated as state forest minister in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's Cabinet, saw a 75% voter turnout according to the Election Commissioner. The contest between Rawat, now the BJP candidate, and Congress nominee Mukesh Malhotra was fraught with tension. Both candidates were stationed at guest houses under security detail due to the volatile atmosphere.

Clashes between BJP and Congress supporters erupted at various points throughout the election process, culminating in protests by top leaders from both parties. Jitu Patwari, the state president of Congress, and V.D. are BJP's state president. Sharma staged a dharna near the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s office in Bhopal, trading accusations of fake voting and booth capturing.

(Source- IANS)