Seven of Dalit family beaten up
FIVE OF THE SEVEN PERSONS WERE SHIFTED TO CHANDRAPUR MED COLLEGE & HOSP
NAGPUR: Seven members of a Dalit family were beaten up on suspicion of performing black magic at Wani (Khurd) village under Jivta tehsil in Chandrapur district on Saturday evening. Thirteen villagers have been arrested so far, said Sushil Kumar Nayak, sub-divisional police officer of Gadchandur.
“More arrests are likely as probe is in preliminary stage,” said Santosh Ambike, assistant police inspector of Jivta.
According to information, the villagers suspected that the dalit family was practising witchcraft. The family members were summoned to the village square where a mob humiliated by throwing mud at them and indiscriminately thrashed them. Later, the crowd tied three of them, including two women, to wooden poles and thrashed them with sticks and punches. The mob then turned to four other members of the families and assaulted them too, Nayak informed. Five of the seven persons were shifted to government-run Chandrapur medical college and hospital after their condition turned serious. They have been identified as Shantabai Bhagwan Kamble, 53; Sahebrao Eknath Hooke, 48; Dhammashila Sudhakar Hooke, 38; Panchfula Shivraj Hooke, 55; and Prayagbai Eknath, 31.
Lok Sabha member and Congress leader Balu Dhanorkar condemned the incident and visited the government-run medical college and hospital and enquired about the victims from the hospital authorities.
District police superintendent Arvind Salve and other senior district officials visited the village on Monday. Apart from this, a team of Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti headed by one Anil Dahegaonkar visited the village and held a meeting to raise awareness among villagers against black magic. He also demanded that the state power, which has adopted a law passed in this regard, should take the initiative to create awareness after such incidents.
The police are on high alert. People coming from outside are being allowed to enter only after interrogation. Nayak said, “We are looking into this seriously and are hopeful to arrest the remaining accused in this regard soon,” he added.