A group of armed dacoits on Friday midnight raided a house in Veergaon Temgire and looted gold ornaments and raped two women and injured seven others. The women had gathered to mourn their father's demise.
Angry villagers of Akole taluka in Ahmednagar district on Sunday organised a bandh to protest against the rising incidents of robbery and dacoity in rural parts of the district and the alleged inability of the police in tackling such crimes.
A group of armed dacoits on Friday midnight raided a house in Veergaon Temgire and looted gold ornaments and raped two women and injured seven others, including some senior citizens. The married daughters of the family had gathered in the house to observe the 13th day ritual following their father’s death.
There were two fresh cases of robbery on Saturday night in two temples, in which the silver crown and silver footwear of the goddesses were stolen. The villagers alleged that the police arrived on the spot two hours after being alerted.
The villagers, along with various social and political organisations, gathered at the tehsildar’s office and submitted a petition to Manik Ahire, demanding better policing to protect the lives and properties of the villagers.
They also demanded adequate police stations and vehicles for the police in the rural parts of the district. The irate villagers have set a deadline of a month for the authorities to step up policing. Ahire told the villagers that the state government would give Rs1 lakh each to the rape victims and Rs50,000 to the injured.
The bandh, which started at 10 am continued till 6 pm. The stir created traffic jams in some parts of the district.
Balashaheb Waghchore, sarpanch of Veergoan Temgire, told DNA that incidents of dacoity, robbery and rape were on the rise. “The police are not taking steps to curb such incidents. The incident on Friday midnight was a heinous one and has shocked the villagers. We want better policing,” he demanded.
Additional superintendent of police (ASP) of Ahmednagar rural police, Sunil Kadasne, admitted that incidents of dacoity and robbery were a cause of concern for the police. He said the police have got concrete leads in Friday night’s incident.
“We suspect that the incident could be the handiwork of people from a tribal community. We have got the footprints of some of the suspects involved in the incident,” he said.
The two rape victims, who are in trauma, have been shifted to a private hospital in Aurangabad for treatment. The other victims, who are in critically condition, have been shifted to a Nashik hospital.
Shiv Sena spokesperson, Neelam Ghore, who rushed to the village on Sunday, demanded that the villagers be given adequate protection and the state government must rehabilitate the victims.
Meanwhile, the Pune rural police have stepped up vigil in the areas bordering Ahmednagar. Sandeep Karnik, superintendent of Pune rural police, said combing operations are underway to nab the suspects.
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