BHOPAL: Panheti village, located near the Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan border, has turned into a police fortress after houses of the OBC Banjara community were set on fire by a mob of Bhil tribe men on Tuesday. The attack was in retaliation for the killing of a Bhil tribe man during a recent clash over forest land.Armed Bhil tribe men, traveling in several vehicles, stormed the Banjara community settlements in Panheti village under the Fatehgarh police station of Guna district on Tuesday morning. While the male members of the Banjara community were away working in the fields, the women and children fled their homes upon seeing the armed mob approach.The attackers set fire to around 12-15 houses built by the Banjara community on the disputed forest land, as well as their vehicles, including a car. Unconfirmed reports suggest that some of the torched houses contained sacks of DAP fertiliser, which is currently in short supply across the state.Visuals from the scene showed Bhil tribe men, armed with rods and riding motorbikes, threatening further violence against the Banjara community, even in the presence of police officers.“They (the Bhils) numbered in the hundreds and stormed into our houses, forcing us to flee with children to save our lives. Later, they set all our houses and property on fire, leaving us with nothing,” said Dakho Bai Banjara, a woman from the Banjara community, describing Tuesday’s violence.
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