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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Bengaluru: First-time Congress MLAs with merit can be made ministers, says Moily
Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister Marpadi Veerappa Moily on Tuesday said that first-time Congress legislators could be considered for ministerial berths during the proposed Cabinet reshuffle if they have the requisite merit.
Moily responded to reports of over 30 first-time Congress MLAs seeking Cabinet positions by stressing the need for a Cabinet with a balance of merit among first-time, young, and senior leaders.
“We entered politics when the Chief Minister Devaraj Urs recognised us in 1972. If legislators have merit and dedication, they can be included in the Cabinet,” Deccan Herald quoted him as saying.
He said that there is nothing wrong with new MLAs aspiring for ministerial posts and that no one has the moral authority to question such aspirations. He recalled that he, too, was a newcomer in his early political days and said those with eligibility should be given ministerial posts.
“If the MLAs have merit, the Chief Minister will recognise them. In our time, we did not lobby for ministerial berths. We were recognised by the Chief Minister,” he said.
Addressing demands for a change in Chief Minister and current talk of a Cabinet reshuffle, Moily said that legislators voicing aspirations should not be seen as engaging in groupism.
He also said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to visit Karkala in Udupi district on Wednesday.
