Facing harassment, member of Pardhi community kills himself

Upset over a case of dacoity filed against his mother which he thought was false and casteist slurs, a 38-year-old man from the Pardhi tribe committed suicide at Hingoli in Marathwada region of Maharashtra

Upset over a case of dacoity filed against his mother which he thought was false and casteist slurs, a 38-year-old man from the Pardhi tribe committed suicide at Hingoli in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, police said on Tuesday. Before killing himself, Dilip Waman Pawar, the victim, shot a video on his cell phone in which he narrated his reasons for suicide. The video went viral on social media.

Pawar allegedly hanged himself from a tree in front of his house in Kalgaon Shivar area of Hingoli on January 6. Pawar, a contract farmer who leased land from others for cultivating, was allegedly being harassed by some local persons, said a police officer. The Pardhi community was once branded as 'criminal' by the British. After Independence this classification was abolished, but the community leaders complain that it still carries the stigma and faces discrimination.

Some local men had accosted Pawar a few days ago and accused his parents of stealing farm produce, the police officer said. They hurled casteist slurs at him and threatened to kill him and his family members besides implicating his school-going son in a false case, the officer said. An offence of 'dacoity' under section 395 of the Indian Penal Code was also registered against Pawar's parents, and his mother was arrested.

According to Pawar, it was a false case, and upset over all this, he tried to end his life on January 6 first by consuming poison. He recorded his statement in a video on his cell phone. However, he survived the attempt. A few hours later, he hanged himself, the police officer said. "We have registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and abetment of suicide against 11 persons," he said. "Police have registered a case. The investigation is on," Deputy Superintendent of Police Siddheshwar Bhore told PTI. "I have asked for case papers and also mobile (video) clipping from the victim's brother who is the complainant in the case," Bhore said.

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