Beed: Men rape woman, minor daughter, lynch 2-year-old son over farmland dispute

The toddler (left) and his grandfather, who died; (right) the toddler’s grandmother, who was badly assaulted. Pics/Hanif Patel

A two-year-old boy and his grandfather, belonging to the Phase Pardhi tribe, were lynched by people belonging to an upper caste in Beed district in September. Nearly three dozen people armed with sticks and iron rods, attacked the house of the family at night, raped the women, and burned down a plastic shanty that was a part of the house. The lynching was allegedly the result of a dispute between the family and a villager over farmland.

The house was located outside the Parner village's limits. The deceased toddler's mother said he was on her lap when accused Subhash Sondage and his father, Bhaorao, started caning her. "I lost the grip on my son and he fell. My son was crying as Subhash continued to hit me. I managed to pick up and shield my son for a few seconds even as they hit me. My head started bleeding and when I tried to suppress it with both my hands, Subhash took my son and flung him with force and he fell and died," the woman said. Later, Subhash raped her.

There were nine tribals inside a two-room concrete house and one plastic shanty when they were attacked. The toddler's 65-year-old grandfather died of injuries the next morning, while his grandmother has suffered fractures. She is also the complainant in the case. The couple's minor granddaughter was also raped during the lynching.

The burnt down house of the victims' family

Police sources said the accused cut off the power supply to the house to avoid identification. The rest of the family hasn't returned to the house fearing another attack by the accused who belong to the Maratha caste. The deceased's son-in-law said they have been facing social discrimination for ages and that a businessman, Vinod Nawale, is responsible for the mob lynching. "Nawale has not been arrested as he knows politically influential people," he said. "I had seen Nawale's car parked on the road when the assailants were brutally assaulting us," the complainant grandmother said.

Lynching premeditated

The lynching was allegedly planned during the birthday party of accused Kishore Yadav on September 25, said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Vijay Legare who camped in the village, conducted a combing operation, and arrested eight people.

"A minor dispute over farmland snowballed into a fight between the deceased's son and accused Bhagwan Awthe," said Legare. "In the dispute, the deceased's son allegedly stabbed Awthe on September 22 and a case was registered against him at Patoda police station. The accused is absconding," Legare said. "The attack happened around 11.30 pm. The deceased and his son are history sheeters," said Legare.

False cases

The deceased's son-in-law, however, said, "We are often falsely implicated by the police. The villagers don't want us to live here, we have been facing discrimination." The tribals' house was in a state of disarray when mid-day visited the spot. A team of Riot Control Police has been deployed at the house but no forensic team has visited for investigations so far.

The deceased's son-in-law

The deceased's daughter, who lives around two km from the house, said the accused set her shanty on fire. "Fauzi Yewale and Bappurao Awthe raped me. I lost consciousness after that," the woman said. Legare said they added Sections related to rape and gang rape in the FIR after the woman approached them. "The search for the absconding accused has been intensified but all the male youth have left the village. Only women are left at home," Legare said. The arrested accused have been identified as Baban Awthe, 55, his son Balu, 30, Bhagwan Awthe, 36, Vinod Awthe, 31, Ashok Dahivale, 25, Vishal Awthe, 25, Datta Mahajan, 23, and Kishore Yadav, 22. Apart from the relevant Sections of the IPC, police have also included sections of the Prevention of Atrocities Act.

Turning life around

"This incident is a textbook example of how they are harassed," said Shankar Jadhav, divisional president of Bahujan Vanchit Aghadi Marathwada. "Upper caste people harass the women, who are turned away by the police," he added. State president of Dadaji Adivasi Phase Pardhi Samaj Sangathan, Matin Bhosale said, "I have been encouraging people to study. But police and society never assist us and we often become scapegoats when crimes like thefts and robberies take place," Bhosale said.

"Landlords believe that if our literacy rates improve, there will be no one left to work on their lands," Bhosale said. The literacy rate in the community, having a population of 12 lakh in the state, is hardly five per cent, he said. He added that 85 per cent of Phase Pardhis in the state are engaged in begging in cities and at railway stations. Bhosale and his team identify children involved in begging and educate them in their Amravati-based school. "The aim is to improve literacy rates. At present, 105 rescued children are studying at our school," Bhosale said. The tribe has also moved away from hunting for sustenance and farms lands allotted by the government. "The land is in possession of the state. They sell the produce, including, cotton to earn a living."

Presence in Mumbai

Mumbai Crime Branch officers said that no arrests of people from the tribe have been made in the past decade. "In Mumbai, in the past 15 years, crimes by Phase Pardhi tribals have reduced and most are educated and working in mainstream jobs. However, some people continue to be active. Earlier, they used to oil their bodies to avoid being caught and would burgle houses without any weapons," said an officer.

The officer added, "Now the criminals still operating target jewellers. They still oil their bodies and use weapons like desi katta, knives, stones, sharp weapons. Other crimes include snatching and robbery." The community's involvement in crime had meant that many spent long jail terms for burglaries and murder. After getting released, they chose to earn a proper living and educate their kids. In Mumbai, very few Phase Pardhis are left and most of those committing crimes here are from Pune and Beed.

- Inputs by Shirish Vaktania

Sept 25
Day the incident took place

08
No. of people arrested in the incident so far