A Dalit youth and his wife were attacked allegedly by men from the upper caste, including a relative of the local Congress MLA, in CM Prithviraj Singh’s home district.
A Dalit youth and his wife were attacked allegedly by men from the upper caste, including a relative of the local Congress MLA, in CM Prithviraj Singh’s home district. A postgraduate from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Vaibhav Ghadge, 27, who is a resident of Kulkajai village in Maan taluka of Satara district, was with his wife when the incident took place on January 22.
“The newlywed couple was on its way to a temple when three assailants on motorbikes attacked and robbed them. They left after threatening to kill them,” Tushar Ghadge, 26, Vaibhav’s cousin, told DNA.
Tushar’s father Madhukar was killed by upper caste men in the village in 2007 reportedly over digging a well. Vaibhav is the sole eyewitness in the 2007 murder while Navnath Kapse, nephew of local Congress MLA Jaykumar Gore and one of the accused in that incident, was among those who attacked the couple last week, Tushar alleged.
Gore, however, denied that any of the accused was related to him.
“They attacked Vaibhav because he is the complainant and only witness in my father’s murder case. They killed my father on the very first day when we started digging a well to deal with water scarcity. To date, we haven’t dug a well,” said Tushar, who is pursuing his postgraduation from TISS. The accused in his father’s murder case were acquitted by the lower court due to lack of evidence.
The Ghadges are also upset because the police have not invoked the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the accused in last week’s attack. Kapse was arrested on charges of robbery and remanded in police custody till Tuesday. A local court extended that to Wednesday.
“We haven’t slapped the attempt to murder charge on the accused. We will submit the medical reports in court to decide on it,” said Shahid Pathan, investigating officer from the Dahiwadi police station in Maan. Pathan added that the accused did not make casteist remarks.
Jaykumar Gore, MLA from Maan, said he was ready to face an inquiry. “The family is dragging my name into the case at the behest of rivals. None of the accused is my relative. They just belong to my community. I haven’t made a single call to the local police station in the last three months and anybody can check that. I am ready to face any inquiry in that matter,” Gore told DNA. He said Kapse’s father was a political activist associated with him, but they are not related.
Students from TISS and its alumni association have strongly condemned the incident.
vishwas.waghmode@dnaindia.net
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}