Bhopal, Oct 6 (IANS) 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.

–IANS

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