In April 2025, grief turned into conflict in the village of Leelda, Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh, after the last rites of a Dalit man on government land was stopped by alleged encroachers. This resulted in clashes between the Dalit Jatav community and the upper-caste Rawats.
Jagdish Jatav, a young man from the Dalit Jatav community who worked in Bengaluru, died in a road accident. His family, mourning his loss, brought his body back to the village to perform the last rites. Like they had done for years, they went to a small piece of government land on the outskirts of Leelda, a patch the Jatav community had been using as their cremation ground ever since their old site was taken over during a railway expansion project.
However, when the Jatav family reached the cremation ground, they were stopped by members of the upper-caste Rawat community. The Rawats claimed the land no longer belonged to the Jatavs and that it was now under their control. Over the years, they had encroached upon parts of the land, plowing and fencing it for cultivation.
The Jatav family tried to reason with them, explaining that they had no other place left for the cremation. But this led to an argument that then escalated to stone-pelting between the groups. According to villagers, verbal abuse was hurled, and soon, a physical altercation broke out between men from both sides. Fearing that the situation would spiral out of control, villagers called the police.
The police arrived along with the tehsildar of Veerpur, Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) and Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Vijaypur, who tried to mediate. After several hours of negotiation, they finally allowed the cremation to take place under police protection.
While no deaths occurred during the clash, several people were injured. About 5-6 people were preventively detained and released the same day, without being formally arrested or remanded.
Officials from the Sheopur district administration confirmed that an inquiry had been initiated into the alleged encroachment.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for better access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Unrestricted access and right to perform last rites on government land; removal of illegal occupation by Rawat community; and official demarcation of cremation ground for public use.
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
Preventive Detention
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
6
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Released from detention
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
No
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
No, they were not produced before a magistrate at all
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Religious/Sacred/Cultural value
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Other, Land Reform Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
Yes
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Following the clash between the Jatavs and the Rawats, 5-6 people were preventively detained and released the same day, without being formally arrested or remanded.
Date of Violation
April 27, 2025
Location of Violation
Leelda village, Sheopur district
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Revenue Department; Police Department; Panchayat & Rural Development; Human Rights Commission; SC/ST Welfare Department; and District Administration
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Jatav Community (Dalit caste group); Rawat Community (Thakur/Rajput upper-caste group); Rawat Samaj Samiti
What was the action taken by the police?
Preventive Detention
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
6
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Released from detention
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
No
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
No, they were not produced before a magistrate at all
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
