Family members of the autorickshaw driver in Pune who committed suicide after being ostracised by a caste tribunal, have withdrawn their police complaint against the caste panchayats.
Arun Kisan Naikunji, who belonged to the Lingayat Gawli caste was found hanging on Monday at his Wadgaon Sheri home here.
His family alleged that the reason for this was a two-year social boycott imposed by the Veershaiva Lingayat Gawli Jaat Panchayat, which believed that Arun’s brother, Appa, had helped bring about an inter-caste marriage.
Arun’s son, Suraj, lodged a complaint against four ‘panchs’ (leaders) of the panchayat at the Chandan Nagar police station under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code soon after the suicide.
However, the police now say that Arun’s relatives have retracted their statement and submitted an affidavit in court saying they did not have any complaint against anybody. The police further said that the Naikunji family had given statements claiming “they were not under any pressure from anyone.”
“We have filed an affidavit on behalf of Suraj, saying the police complaint was filed out of misunderstanding,” said Vipin Bidkar, advocate for the Naikunji family.
Soon after the suicide, Arun’s brother Appa had told the media that the police and government ought to take stern action against illicit caste panchayats. The family had also approached activists of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS), for help to lodge the case with the police.
Terming the withdrawal of complaint as a “regressive step”, the MANS added that “the about-turn clearly smacks of the tremendous pressure of the caste panchayats.” Nandini Jadhav of the MANS said, “it is unfortunate that two years of humiliation and suffering endured by Arun and his family have now gone in vain.”
The police is yet to make any arrest, and the four accused — Vahappa Pailwan, Vitthal Pailwan, Mankappa Aurange, and Kisan Janubas — are believed to be hiding in Karnataka.
