Ahmednagar Police on Saturday arrested one accused involved in the Dalit men assault case which triggered an outrage in Maharashtra. Four persons from Dalit community were allegedly hanged upside down from a tree and beaten up with sticks by six persons on suspicion of stealing a goat and some pigeons in a village in Ahmednagar district.
"The incident occurred on 25 August. An FIR has been registered in this case on the complaint of one of the victims, Shubham Magde. The victims have alleged that they were thrashed badly. 6 people namely Yuvraj Galande, Manoj Bodke, Pappu Parakhe, Deepak Gaikwad, Durgesh Vaidya and Raju Borag, have been booked under Sections 307, 364 of IPC and Atrocity Act. One accused has been arrested and the police are on the lookout for the remaining five accused. Further investigation underway," Ahmednagar ASP Swati Bhor says,
Earlier, a video of the incident surfaced on social media, following which the police on Saturday arrested one person in connection with the attack, while five others are absconding, an Ahmednagar police official said.
A shutdown was observed in Haregaon village in Shrirampur taluka on Sunday in protest against the incident.
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.
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.
Congress targets BJP
Opposition Congress has termed the incident as a "blot" on humanity and the fallout of "hate" being spread by the BJP.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, "BJP has started politics of hatred in the country and the state. The result is in front of us. This state government is responsible for the Ahmednagar incident."
"BJP's divisive policy is responsible for such incidents. Earlier, they (BJP leaders) created a dispute between Hindus and Muslims, now they are doing the same between Hindus and Dalits. Whoever is guilty in the incident, strict action should be taken against them. The Congress will continue to fight for the justice for victims," he added.
