After locals claimed that it that it was the cops who misbehaved and ill treated the Pardhi community, human rights activists have gone to the village. They have confirmed to DNA that the villagers allegations are true.
Coming on the heels of the macabre burning to death of Nashik additional collector Yashwant Sonawane, the alleged attack by “oil mafia on cops” in Rajurwadi village of Umrer in rural Nagpur had raised a lot of eyebrows.
After locals claimed that it that it was the cops who misbehaved and ill treated the Pardhi community, human rights activists have gone to the village. They have confirmed to DNA that the villagers allegations are true.
Rekha Bartakke of the State Child Rights Commission told DNA, “Practically every home here shows signs of police high handedness. The police have ransacked houses, broken open cupboards and looted whatever jewellery and money they could find,” and added, “the way the grain and water containers have been emptied an strewn about shows how angry the cops were.”
Yashpal Bagodia of National Human Rights Commission said that the police did not spare women and children too. “Women were dragged by their hair though the village and they were beaten mercilessly. Children who tried to intervene were also not spared,” he said.
It may be recalled that on Tuesday Umrer deputy superintendent of police Sudhakar Palandurkar and his team had claimed that a mob of 100 people attacked them while raiding kerosene dens.
‘’We were attacked with slings and stones by people who were carrying axes. Our officer’s alertness saved him from an axe blow. They attacked us with whatever they could find - sticks, stones, bricks,” Palandurkar had told media.
Pannalal Rajput and his family who the police said were hoarding kerosene have fled the village. They have told the fact finding teams that the police began beating up Rajput’s family members despite his willingness to surrender.
“A protest morcha to collector office a day before, demanding land for the tribals as per the government policy seems to have led to this attack soon after the agitation,” said activist Beena Sunkar.
Repeated attempts to get Palandurkar to comment on why the police and the villagers versions were at variance drew a blank
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