A CASE THAT EXPOSED CASTE FAULT LINES
THE INCIDENT
On July 13, 2016, a 15-year-old Maratha girl was returning home after meeting her grandfather when Jitendra Shinde accosted and raped the girl in Ahmednagar district’s Kopardi village, 120km from Pune. Shinde’s friends, Santosh G Bhaval and Nitin Bhailume, later helped him kill her. All three belonged to the Dalit Mahar caste. The body bore signs of brutal assault. Her limbs were broken and bite marks were found all over the body.
Backlash against Dalits
The incident galvanised Marathas against the Dalits who faced intense backlash with people from the caste getting attacked in Nashik. The protest forced the government to appoint Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor and fast track the case.
Demand for quota, jobs
While the Marathas’ protests were set off by the rape incident, they were soon overtaken by other demands, including reservation in government jobs and colleges, and repeal of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis promptly announced several sops to pacify the Marathas, although their main demand for reservation is before the Bombay high court, which is yet to decide on a petition challenging the 16% quota announced by the previous government.
The verdict All accused held guilty on November 18 and were sentenced to death on Wednesday.