Pune: The couple who had done intercaste marriage kept pleading the police for protection, the Dalit man was murdered!
The woman had sought protection from the police after marrying outside her caste. After the murder of her Dalit husband, the woman accused the police of not providing protection.
Rajan Chowdhary Published on: 29 Jul 2024
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The wife of a Dalit youth who was allegedly murdered by his in-laws for marrying outside his caste, on Sunday claimed that the couple had already informed the police about threat to their lives but were denied protection.
On July 14, Amit Murlidhar Salunkhe, 25, was allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons by the father and a relative of Vidya Kirtishahi, 18, whom he had eloped and married. He was immediately admitted to a local hospital, where he died on July 25.
Speaking to the media , Vidya said, “On May 2, we had a registered marriage. My husband’s family accepted us, after which we started staying at his house. However, our close friends told us that my family is threatening to kill us. They said they will take revenge for marrying outside the caste like Sairat (referring to the popular Marathi film which depicts the threat of ‘honour killing’).”
Vidya claimed that on June 10, she and her husband went to the Jawahar Nagar police station in the city. “We were asked to give the complaint in writing and lodge separate complaints. We wrote that there was a threat to our lives from my family and requested police protection. However, we were not given any protection,” Vidya alleged.
On July 14, at around 10 pm, Amit, who was at his home in Indira Nagar, was asked by an unknown person to come out of the house.
“He asked my husband to come out. As soon as my husband walked 100 metres, two men attacked him. Hearing the noise, we all ran outside. Amit was lying in a pool of blood. He was conscious and told us that my father and a distant relative attacked him with a sharp weapon. We immediately rushed him to the hospital,” Vidya said.
When asked about Vidya’s allegations, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Navneet Kumar Kawat said, “The matter is being investigated. If anyone is found guilty, we will take appropriate action.”
Kawat said security has been provided to Vidya and her in-laws. “The family has been provided 24-hour security,” he said.
Amit died on July 25 after ten days in the hospital. In his dying statement, Amit named two attackers, who have been arrested. The accused have been identified as Vidya’s relative, Appasaheb Ashok Kirtishahi, 35, and her father, Geetaram Bhaskar Kirtishahi, 52.
Kawat said that Vidya’s father has obtained interim anticipatory bail from the local court till August 1.
“We appealed to the same court, saying that initially a case of attempt to murder was registered, and now a case of murder has been registered. Therefore, the bail should be cancelled. The court agreed and we have arrested him,” Kawat said.
A third person has also been arrested in this case, whose name has not been revealed yet.
“When Amit was attacked, I reached the spot within two minutes. It seems they had broken the wires in the area. It was a pre-planned murder,” said Sumit Salunke, Amit’s brother.
Baramati MP Supriya Sule condemned the incident and said, “It is sad that such incidents are happening even in a progressive state like Maharashtra. I will seek full details of the case from the police and the victim’s family.”
