BJP legislator Umakant Sharma

Bhopal: BJP workers led by party legislator Umakant Sharma have held a vociferous protest against the murder of Sarpanch’s husband, Santram Dholpuria.

The demonstration was held in Murwas village in Lateri block of Vidisha district on Friday. According to reports, the forest mafia was involved in the murder of Dholpuria.

The BJP workers hurled abuses at the police in front of Sharma. Despite their abuses, the officials of the police and those of the district administration kept mum.

Sharma feared that he might also be murdered. It was because of the slackness of the police that he might have lost his life, Sharma said. He also took the police officers to task.

Santram had complained to the sub-divisional magistrate against a youth, Rizwan, for allegedly encroaching upon forestland. After that, Rizwan and his accomplices allegedly crushed Santram under the wheels of a tractor.

The administration declared section 144 to avoid any communal tension and deployed more police force.

The Congress criticised the government for the incident. MPCC president Kamal Nath said goons were ruling the roost.

Nath said he had ended the fear of mafia in his rule and demanded strict action against the killers of Santram.