Maharashtra: Three members of a Dalit family killed; dumped in dry well

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra): Three members of a Dalit family in Jawkhede Khalsa village here were cruelly killed, one of them decapitated before being thrown into a dry well, police said on Friday. The murders took place on the night of 20 October at Patherdi, 69 km from here, and the mutilated bodies of Sanjay Jadhav (49), his wife Jayashree (46) and their son Sunil (22) were found dumped in a village well the Tuesday morning (21 October), DSP Lakhmi Gautam said. [caption id=“attachment_1770909” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] However, when the head and limbs of Sunil were found missing, locals and relatives of the family raised a hue and cry and stalled their last rites by staging road blockades and protests alleging lack of strong action against the unknown killers, suspected to be from the upper caste, besides demanding protection for Dalit families in the village and transfer of the case to the State CID, police said. On Thursday evening, when the severed body parts of Sunil were traced to a bore well, the victims were cremated, district collector Anil Kawade said. The incident has sent shock waves in the village. Earlier, Dalit organisations demanded early arrest of those involved in the murder. They also blocked the Jawkhed road for three hours until SDOP Jyoti Kaware, DSP Gautam convinced the protesters, villagers and family members to withdraw their agitation, assuring adequate protection before the funeral was conducted. This is the second incident of a Dalit murder in Ahmednagar in the last four months. In July, a 20-year-old Dalit boy was killed in Kharda village of Jamkhed tehsil for allegedly having a love affair with a upper caste girl. Although some villagers indicated that a land dispute may be a reason behind the recent killings, the real cause is still under investigation, police said. The Jadhavs owned a small farm in the village and also worked as land-tillers on daily wages to earn their living. PTI