Four days after a Dalit boy was beaten up and killed allegedly by Maratha youths in Ahmednagar’s Kharda village, Maharashtra Tribal Affairs Minister Madhukar Pichad declared a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh for the victim’s family.
Mr. Pichad, who met the family of 17-year-old Nitin Aage, said: “The family will be given Rs. 5 lakh as compensation from the State government and Rs. 5 lakh from the Nationalist Congress Party as assistance.” He added that the State government would sponsor the education of Nitin’s sister.
Mr. Pichad, who is also Guardian Minister of Ahmednagar district, faced criticism for not having visited the family. “I am sorry, I was late in paying a visit. Justice will be ensured. No communal issue will obstruct the trial,” he told presspersons in Kharda on Saturday.
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Nitin was beaten up and hanged from a tree by Maratha youths allegedly for meeting a girl from their family. Eleven people, including the girl’s brother, have been arrested.