Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, on Monday assured strict against those responsible for beating four members of the Scheduled Caste with sticks and hanging four of them upside down from a tree in the Ahmednagar district will face harsh punishment. He also claimed that nobody has the right to take law into their hands.
According to police, the victims, among them two minors, were allegedly stripped, hung upside down from a tree and thrashed with sticks by a group of six men on suspicion of stealing a goat and some pigeons at Haregaon village in Shrirampur taluka of Ahmednagar on August 25. Four persons have so far been arrested in connection with the incident.
A case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 364 (kidnapping) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been registered, the police said. Asked about the incident, Pawar told reporters in Pune that no one has the right to take law into their hands and assured stringent action against those behind it.
I got information that a case has been registered and the accused have been arrested, he said. On the demand from certain sections for declaration of drought in the state in view of the ‘rain deficit’, Pawar said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, he and ministers concerned have held a meeting and necessary instructions have been given to the district administrations.
In the meeting, the chief minister heard all the concerns and necessary instructions have been issued to the administration. We are keeping a close watch on the situation, he said.