11 booked for brutally assaulting youth, urinating on him in Ahilyanagar district
Mumbai (PTI): A group of 11 persons allegedly kidnapped and brutally thrashed a 22-year-old man, urinated on him, and abused him over his caste in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district, officials said on Friday.
A case has been registered against the alleged attackers in connection with the incident on the evening of October 19, while three of them, including the main accused, have been arrested so far, they said.
The incident took place at Sonai village in Newasa tehsil, when the victim and his friend were standing near a hospital.
Main accused Sambhaji Lande, who had a past rivalry with the victim, arrived at the spot with his group, and they allegedly started raining kicks and punches on him. The man was assaulted with sticks, an official said.
Lande and his accomplices also hit the victim’s friend when he tried to intervene. They then bundled the victim into a black Scorpio and drove to an unidentified place, where they again thrashed him, the official said, citing the FIR.
The accused persons also allegedly urinated on the victim and hurled casteist remarks, he said.
After assaulting the victim for an hour, the accused threw him out of the vehicle near a college ground and fled, said the police.
The victim’s parents subsequently rushed him to a local hospital, where doctors referred him to the Civil Hospital in the district headquarters.
The accused persons have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections concerning voluntarily causing hurt, injury by dangerous weapon and kidnapping and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the official said.
Three of the accused persons have been taken into custody, and a search is underway to track down the others, he added.
Meanwhile, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar has demanded action against the accused under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
In a post on X on Thursday, the Dalit leader said he spoke to the victim’s father over the phone and assured his family of full support. “Our demand is that action be taken against the accused under MCOCA. I will soon meet the victim’s family,” he added.
The village and areas under Newasa tehsil have previously been in the news over caste-related crimes.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
