A group of 11 persons, allegedly kidnapped and brutally thrashed a 22-year-old man, urinated on him, and abused him over his caste in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district, officials said on Friday, October 24.
A case has been registered against the alleged attackers in connection with the incident on the evening of October 19, while three of them, including the main accused, have been arrested so far, they said.
The incident took place at Sonai village in Newasa tehsil, when the victim and his friend were standing near a hospital.
The main accused, Sambhaji Lande, who had a past rivalry with the victim, arrived at the spot with his group, and they allegedly started raining kicks and punches on him. The man was assaulted with sticks, an official said.
Lande and his accomplices also hit the victim’s friend when he tried to intervene. They then bundled the victim into a black Scorpio and drove to an unidentified place, where they again thrashed him, the official said, citing the FIR.
The accused persons also allegedly urinated on the victim and hurled casteist remarks, he said.
After assaulting the victim for an hour, the accused threw him out of the vehicle near a college ground and fled, said the police.
The victim’s parents subsequently rushed him to a local hospital, where doctors referred him to the Civil Hospital in the district headquarters.
The accused persons have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections concerning voluntarily causing hurt, injury by dangerous weapon and kidnapping and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the official said.
Three of the accused persons have been taken into custody, and a search is underway to track down the others, he added.
Meanwhile, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar has demanded action against the accused under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
In a post on X on Thursday, the Dalit leader said he spoke to the victim’s father over the phone and assured his family of full support. “Our demand is that action be taken against the accused under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) 1999. I will soon meet the victim’s family,” he added.
The village and areas under Newasa tehsil have previously been in the news over caste-related crimes.
