An elderly Dalit man was recently killed in Borgaon village in Maharashtra’s Sangli district by two dominant caste youths allegedly for his upward mobility and success.
The incident took place on July 15. Vaman Nyaynirgune (62) was working in his field when two youths from the Maratha caste taunted him about his improved economic situation. They then asked him why he did not greet them and proceeded to beat him up, killing him on the spot, policemen at the Tasgaon station told The Hindu .
“According to the complaint filed by the victim’s son Ratnadeep, the two youths remarked that the Dalit family had gone to Mumbai and made a lot of progress,” police said. “They asked Mr. Nyaynirgune why he did not greet them. They first hit the victim in the back and when the old man questioned their act, they beat him some more, leading to his death. We have registered a case of murder and invoked 3 (1) (x) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.”
A protest letter issued by a local organisation, Sampada Grameen Mahila Sanstha, said the victim had worked as a porter in Mumbai and moved to the village after retirement. He invested his life’s earnings in his farm, which had yielded a good harvest.
The police have arrested the two accused, Chandrakant Patil and Sachin Patil.
