Madhya Pradesh Saw Over 300 Cases Against Cops In 2 Years: Data

Of these cases, investigations are still pending in 61, while charge sheets have already been filed in 259 cases.

12 Dec 2025, 07:28 · www.ndtv.com

Bhopal:

The shocking Mandsaur-Malhargarh case, in which a young student was allegedly picked up from a bus, beaten, and falsely framed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, has become a chilling symbol of a deeper crisis within the Madhya Pradesh Police. At a time when the police are meant to be the guardians of the law, official data now shows that they are increasingly appearing on the wrong side of it.

According to a written reply given by the Madhya Pradesh government in the Assembly to MLA Bala Bachchan, as many as 329 police personnel across the state have had criminal cases registered against them in the last two years under various sections of law. Of these cases, investigations are still pending in 61, while charge sheets have already been filed in 259 cases.

Bhopal topped the list, with criminal cases against 48 police personnel, followed by Gwalior with 27 cases. The data has raised uncomfortable questions, especially because it comes despite major policing reforms.

Even more startling is the government's own admission that after the implementation of the Police Commissioner system in Indore and Bhopal, crimes such as robbery, theft, and vehicle theft have not reduced but have actually increased.

District-wise cases registered against police personnel: Bhopal City - 48, Gwalior - 27, Seoni - 18, Indore Urban - 17, Indore Rural - 17, Guna - 17 and Balaghat - 13.

The abstract numbers found a disturbing human face in Mandsaur's Malhargarh police station, ranked as the ninth best police station in the country.

In this case, the station in-charge, two sub-inspectors and three constables have been suspended after allegations that a student was framed by planting opium on him.

The case revolves around Sohanlal, described by his family as a bright and hard-working student who had passed Class 12 in first division and aspired to prepare for the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Speaking to NDTV, Sohanlal's brother, Kathiram Gulecha, narrated the ordeal in detail.

"Sohanlal boarded a bus from Mandsaur to Pratapgarh for some work. Three or four policemen boarded the bus 10 kilometres later, picked him up in the morning, and in the evening, they arrested him on an NDPS charge, held him captive for six hours, beat him up... In the evening, a case was registered, he was produced in court, and he was sent to jail," he said.

Sohanlal had gone to the Pashupatinath Temple in Mandsaur, he said.

"Sohan is currently in no condition to speak; he's depressed, scared... he's quiet and silent. He just said they took him from the bus, kept him in a room, beat him, and then, in the evening, framed him in an NDPS case for not paying the money. To date, there's no case against him; we haven't had any fights with anyone that could implicate us. We want swift justice and strict action against those involved," he added.

The case took an extraordinary turn in the High Court, where Mandsaur SP Vinod Meena himself admitted serious lapses by his force. Appearing before the division bench of Justice Subodh Abhyankar, he acknowledged that the police action was wrong.

Meena told the court that personnel from Malhargarh police station and plainclothes staff forcibly removed the young man from the bus, took him to the police station, and falsely implicated him in a case of possessing 2.5 kilograms of opium.

In a rare and damaging admission, the SP also declared that the statement given by the investigating officer in court was incorrect.

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