Pal village, where a Dalit youth was brutally murdered on Monday, wore a deserted look on Wednesday. No one from the upper caste came to greet minister of state for home (rural) Nitin Raut who paid a visit to the village after the incident. People from the upper caste preferred to remain inside of their homes.
Raut then went to a Dalit locality and met parents of the deceased, Rohidas Tupe. Local MLA Dr Kalyan Kale (Congress) was accompanying the minister. However, the father and relatives of the deceased did not allow Kale to be with the minister because the main accused in the murder case are said to be close relatives of Kale. The persons who were directly involved in the killing are still absconding.
On Monday, some angry villagers had allegedly tied 20-year-old Rohidas Tupe to an electric pole and stoned him to death for “attacking” a girl from their community.
Raut met members of the Dalit community and assured them that the state government would give them justice. He assured them of the necessary financial help and rehabilitation of Rohidas family in Aurangabad.
Later, he addressed a press conference and said that all the accused in the case would be dealt with sternly.
Raut claimed that Rohidas had never threatened or harassed the girl on Monday. He had come to the village to meet his family on Mahashivratri day. He was going home when a mob killed him.
