A man was shot and his wife and two children were abducted at gunpoint by a group of armed men in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, officials said on Sunday.
The brutal assault, captured on video and now widely circulated online, has sparked outrage and political criticism over the law and order situation in the BJP-ruled state.
According to the police, over a dozen men – armed with pistols, sticks, and rods – stormed into the home of Hariram Pal. The attackers arrived in an SUV and multiple motorcycles. Without provocation, they began thrashing the family members before firing indiscriminately inside the house.
Hariram was shot and critically injured. He was rushed to the district hospital and is said to be in a critical condition.
The attackers then abducted Hariram’s wife and two daughters, aged seven and five, dragging them into a vehicle at gunpoint as terrified bystanders watched. A video of the incident shows chaotic scenes of screams, gunfire, and armed men forcibly taking the woman and children while threatening anyone who tried to intervene.
Police have identified the main accused as Sanjay Singh Rajput, a resident of the same village, who allegedly led the group of 10 to 15 assailants. The motive behind the attack is suspected to be a personal enmity, though officials are still probing the full details.
Five suspects have been arrested so far, and a case has been filed against nine individuals under 11 sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including attempted murder and kidnapping.
Eight of the accused remain unidentified. Police have seized the Bolero SUV and motorcycles used in the assault and conducted raids at over 25 locations. Five special teams have been formed to apprehend the remaining culprits, and a reward of Rs 10,000 has been announced for credible leads.
Chhatarpur SP Agam Jain confirmed the sequence of events, stating that the assailants broke into the house, fired rounds into the air to create panic, assaulted Hariram Pal, and abducted his wife and daughters at gunpoint before fleeing.
The incident has drawn sharp political reactions. Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari slammed the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government, posting on X: “In Chhatarpur, a woman and her two children were abducted in broad daylight. The accused opened fire and took them away in a car. The law and order situation in the state is collapsing”.
He further questioned the accountability of the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who also holds the Home portfolio, and accused the government of setting “new records of lawlessness”.