11-23-2006, 06:51 AM
Reading through the story, this is not even a caste atrocity:
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The immediate provocation for the mostly non-dalit villagers was that Surekha and Priyanka had testified against 15 of them in a case of beating up of one Siddharth Gajbhiye - also a Dalit and a kin of Surekha - earlier that month.
In a belated action on Siddharth's complaint, the police had arrested the 15 villagers Sep 29 and released them on bail the same day.
Siddharth, a well-to-do Dalit and 'police patil' of the neighbouring village, often stood by Bhotmanges and interceded on their behalf in a long drawn land dispute.
Accompanied by some 40 others immediately on being freed on bail, the 'implicated' 15 marched straight to Bhotmange's house and butchered the family in an orgy of violence that lasted two hours.
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So, there is this:
1. a land dispute
2. the mother and daughter had testified against 15 of the villagers in a criminal complaint.
3. the "implicated 15" - implicated in the criminal complaint as noted above - were mainly involved in the rape-murder.
4. Nothing happened to the other 2 "dalit" and ST families in the village, as far as I can tell.
In effect, this family was pinpointed for this crime, because of longstanding disputes between the family and some of the other villagers.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->
The immediate provocation for the mostly non-dalit villagers was that Surekha and Priyanka had testified against 15 of them in a case of beating up of one Siddharth Gajbhiye - also a Dalit and a kin of Surekha - earlier that month.
In a belated action on Siddharth's complaint, the police had arrested the 15 villagers Sep 29 and released them on bail the same day.
Siddharth, a well-to-do Dalit and 'police patil' of the neighbouring village, often stood by Bhotmanges and interceded on their behalf in a long drawn land dispute.
Accompanied by some 40 others immediately on being freed on bail, the 'implicated' 15 marched straight to Bhotmange's house and butchered the family in an orgy of violence that lasted two hours.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So, there is this:
1. a land dispute
2. the mother and daughter had testified against 15 of the villagers in a criminal complaint.
3. the "implicated 15" - implicated in the criminal complaint as noted above - were mainly involved in the rape-murder.
4. Nothing happened to the other 2 "dalit" and ST families in the village, as far as I can tell.
In effect, this family was pinpointed for this crime, because of longstanding disputes between the family and some of the other villagers.