Law & order over in Maharashtra’: Oppn hits out at Shinde govt after 4 Dalit men tortured

The Opposition in Maharashtra has hit out at the Eknath Shinde government after four Dalit men were allegedly tortured in Ahmednagar district on the suspicion of stealing pigeons and a goat.Six accused — all from an ‘upper-caste’ community — beat up the four men with sticks, hung them upside down from a tree, urinated on them, and lobbed casteist slur at them. 

The incident took place Friday in Haregaon village of Shrirampur taluka. A video of the alleged torture subsequently surfaced on social media. The accused have been identified as Yuvraj Galande, Manoj Bodke, Pappu Parakhe, Deepak Gaikwad, Durgesh Vaidya and Raju Borag. A case has been registered under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 364 (kidnapping), and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. 

Referring to the incident, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said the “BJP [a coalition partner in the state government] is trying to disturb the communal harmony in society”. “They are trying to spread hate and this incident is a fallout. This incident is a blot on humanity,” he added.Jitendra Ahwad, an MLA of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) said on social media platform X that “the fear of law and order is over from Maharashtra”. “The triple-engine government is only busy in advertising. Maharashtra is moving fast towards becoming a cow belt.”

On August 25, a group of six persons from the village allegedly went to the homes of four Dalit men, all in their 20s, and forced them to accompany them, the official said.They were hanged upside down from a tree and beaten up with sticks over the suspicion of stealing a goat and some pigeons, he said.The accused have been identified as Yuvraj Galande, Manoj Bodake, Pappu Parkhe, Deepak Gaikwad, Durgesh Vaidya and Raju Borage, the official said.One of the accused allegedly shot a video of the attack, which later surfaced on social media, he said.The injured men were later taken to a nearby hospital, the official said, adding that one of the victims, Shubham Magade, lodged a complaint with the police.