The Supreme Court has directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the suspicious deaths of three Dalit family members in Madhya Pradesh. The case involves serious allegations of caste violence and political influence linked to a former State Home Minister’s aide.
The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the suspicious deaths of a Dalit woman and two of her family members in Madhya Pradesh.
A Bench comprising Justice M. M. Sundresh and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh passed the order while hearing a petition filed by the victim’s mother. The plea seeks an independent investigation by the CBI or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged molestation and murder of her 20-year-old daughter on May 26, 2024.
The case has raised serious concerns because the petition claims that a close associate of former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh was involved in the killings.
The Supreme Court had earlier, in 2025, asked the Madhya Pradesh government and the CBI to respond to the plea demanding an independent probe into the deaths. The petitioner has alleged that local police authorities failed to carry out a fair investigation and that witnesses in the case are facing threats.
According to the petition, the petitioner’s daughter was killed in May 2024 along with the petitioner’s brother-in-law. The petition also states that the petitioner’s 18-year-old son, Nitin, had allegedly been murdered by the same group a year earlier.
The plea claims that these killings were part of a series of retaliatory attacks that began after the petitioner’s daughter filed a criminal complaint in 2019 against members of the dominant Thakur community in the village.
The case traces its origins to a 2019 incident when the petitioner’s daughter, who was then 15 years old, lodged a complaint alleging that four villagers assaulted and molested her. She also alleged that they used caste-based abuses and threatened to kill her if she approached the police.
However, the plea claims that instead of taking action against the accused persons, the police falsely implicated and arrested the petitioner’s son Vishnu.
Later, in August 2023, another son of the petitioner, Nitin, was allegedly beaten to death by the same group of accused persons.
Although an FIR was registered in that case, the petitioner has claimed that several serious allegations were left out of the complaint. According to the plea, the FIR did not include claims that she had been disrobed during the attack and that her house had been vandalised by the accused persons.
The petition also alleged that the FIR failed to name one of the accused, Ankit Singh Thakur, who is said to have close connections with Bhupendra Singh.
According to the plea, the petitioner’s daughter repeatedly approached the authorities seeking the inclusion of all the accused persons in the case and complained about threats to force a compromise.
The petition further alleges that she was called by Bhupendra Singh and was offered “₹2 crore to compromise the matter.”
The plea also stated that the petitioner’s daughter and her brother-in-law Rajendra were key witnesses in the murder case relating to Nitin’s death.
In May 2024, Rajendra was allegedly beaten to death by the accused persons.
A day later, the petitioner’s daughter also died under suspicious circumstances while she was travelling in an ambulance carrying Rajendra’s body.
According to the police, the woman fell from the moving vehicle. However, the petitioner has strongly disputed this claim and alleged that there was foul play involved in her daughter’s death.
The petition has therefore requested the Supreme Court to order a CBI investigation into the deaths and also sought the transfer of criminal proceedings related to the 2019 and 2023 cases outside Madhya Pradesh.
The petitioner has argued that the local police failed to conduct an impartial investigation and that the safety of witnesses is at risk.
Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, along with advocate Meenesh Dubey, appeared for the petitioner before the Supreme Court.
The matter is expected to continue before the Court after the CBI submits its findings in the preliminary inquiry.
Case Title:
Badi Bahu v. State of Madhya Pradesh and Anr.
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