A dalit youth was stripped and assaulted for seeking religious advice in Maharashtra’s Khamgaon area. . In protest, several Dalit organizations, including Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, have called for a shutdown in Khāmgaon. The protestors are demanding the arrest of the accused and action against them under MCOCA. A bandh is being observed across the city. The incident has sparked outrage in the area. Despite registering a case against the goons, the police have not yet arrested them.
This is not the first time that such a incident has been reported in Maharashtra. In a similar like incident, dalit boy was beaten to death by upper-caste Hindu men wielding sticks and daggers in the Bondhar Haveli village of Maharashtra’s Nanded district. The incident occurred when the deceased went to a local grocery store in Bondhar Haveli village in the evening. At that time, a wedding procession for a Maratha bridegroom was passing by on the main road, with some men in the procession wielding swords, sticks, and daggers.
When the brothers encountered the group, they were allegedly subjected to derogatory remarks based on their caste and were targeted because they were celebrating Bhim Jayanti, as stated in the First Information Report (FIR) filed by friend of the deceased. According to the FIR, the attackers physically assaulted Akshay by kicking, punching, and hitting him with sticks. The situation escalated when one of the assailants repeatedly stabbed him with a dagger, while others held his limbs, leading to his immediate death.