Supreme Court directs CBI inquiry into Dalit woman’s death

THe sublime margaret court on midweek directed the telephone exchange Bureau of investigating (CBI) to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Anjana Ahirwar, a young Dalit woman from Madhya Pradesh whose mysterious death in May 2024 triggered allegations of foul play and an alleged cover-up by local authorities.A bench of justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh said an independent probe was necessary to ensure that the circumstances of the death were properly examined.“We direct the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the circumstances of the death of the young woman. Needless to say that if the offence is made out, the CBI will register a regular case and proceed accordingly. The preliminary enquiry be completed within three months,” the bench ordered.The court observed that the matter required an independent probe as its “conscience needs to be satisfied that there was no foul play.”Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, along with advocate Meenesh Dubey, appeared for the petitioner, Anjana’s mother identified as Badi Bahu, seeking an independent investigation into the death. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju represented the state.Anjana died on May 26, 2024, after she reportedly fell from a moving ambulance that was transporting the body of her uncle, Rajendra Ahirwar, from a government hospital in Sagar to their village, Barodiya Naunagir in Khurai.Rajendra Ahirwar had himself been fatally attacked the previous night in an alleged clash between two groups. Police had said he died from injuries sustained in the incident.According to officials, Anjana was travelling in the ambulance with family members when she fell from the vehicle. However, the circumstances of her death soon became controversial.Anjana’s death came less than a year after her brother Nitin Ahirwar was allegedly beaten to death in August 2023. Following that incident, Anjana had lodged an FIR alleging that her brother had been killed by persons who were pressuring her to compromise in a harassment case. Her brother’s killing had sparked protests in the region, including a sit-in by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.Civil society groups and activists have pointed out that three members of the same Dalit family died within a span of about ten months -- Nitin in August 2023, Rajendra in May 2024, and Anjana a day later.A fact-finding report by a citizens’ group in July 2024 questioned the police investigation into Anjana’s death, alleging that authorities had hurriedly concluded she had jumped from the ambulance.The incidents occurred in Barodiya Naunagir village in Sagar district, part of the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, where activists have alleged long-standing caste tensions. Local residents and activists claimed that dominant-caste village elites, sometimes referred to locally as “lambardars”, wield considerable influence in the area.The family had alleged that they faced pressure to withdraw earlier complaints linked to harassment and violence.