Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur district observed a 'Bandh' on Thursday morning as communal tensions flared up after the brutal murder of a 40-year-old woman by a man belonging to a minority community on Wednesday evening.
SP Ashutosh Bagri said that the accused has been arrested and FSL team is collecting evidence from the spot for further investigation.
After the post-mortem, enraged members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, Hindu Mahasabha, Bhim Army, and BSP took out a funeral procession in the town on Thursday morning.
Police made tight security arrangements to maintain law and order in the town. Traversing the main streets of the town, they submitted a memorandum to SDM Ajmer Singh Gaur, demanding capital punishment for the accused.
During the rally, participants raised slogans and urged people to close their businesses. They expressed concerns over rising violence and urged authorities to take strict action against the perpetrators.
They had also gheraoed Shikarpura police station, demanding capital punishment against the accused on Wednesday evening.
MLA Archana Chitnis met the victim's family and assured them of strict action against the accused and financial assistance. She said she had talked to CM Mohan Yadav.
As per reports, the incident occurred at victim Sharda Sirture's home, when accused Sheikh Salim, of Maharashtra, barged into the house and attacked her with a hammer.
Sharda's brother-in-law Mithun Sirture tried to intervene and got into a scuffle with Salim. However, Salim pushed him away and struck Sharda on the head three to four times. She sustained a skull fracture and bled profusely. She was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries at the district hospital.
Sharda's husband, Manoj Sirture, said that she had left home for work on Wednesday and he was not at home during the incident, as their son was in hospital.
SP Bagri said that prima facie, the incident occurred due to personal relations between the victim and accused, which had gone sour for some reason.
To maintain peace, additional police forces have been deployed in the area as community members seek justice for Sharda.
