Educationist Heramb Kulkarni attacked in broad daylight in Ahmednagar

After a social media post by his wife Pratima on how the police had taken no action in two days went viral on Monday, chief minister Eknath Shinde spoke to Kulkarni on the phone and ordered the Ahmednagar police to arrest the suspects as soon as possible

MUMBAI: Renowned educationist and Gandhian social worker Heramb Kulkarni was attacked with an iron rod by unknown persons in Rasane Nagar in Ahmednagar city on Saturday. The attack took place in broad daylight and was captured on CCTV.

Kulkarni is known for his work in the education and social sectors. A follower of freedom fighter Sane Guruji who was Gandhian, he has worked to bring the children of migrant workers into the mainstream of education. He is the author of books critiquing the education system like ‘Shala Aahe Pan Shikshan Nahi’ (There Is A School But No Education) and ‘Aamchya Shikshanache Kay?’ (What About Our Education?) as well as books on socio-economic issues like ‘Daridryachi Shodhyatra’ (In Search Of The Reason For Poverty) (HT PHOTO)

After a social media post by his wife Pratima on how the police had taken no action in two days went viral on Monday, chief minister Eknath Shinde spoke to Kulkarni on the phone and ordered the Ahmednagar police to arrest the suspects as soon as possible.

Kulkarni is known for his work in the education and social sectors. A follower of freedom fighter Sane Guruji who was Gandhian, he has worked to bring the children of migrant workers into the mainstream of education. He is the author of books critiquing the education system like ‘Shala Aahe Pan Shikshan Nahi’ (There Is A School But No Education) and ‘Aamchya Shikshanache Kay?’ (What About Our Education?) as well as books on socio-economic issues like ‘Daridryachi Shodhyatra’ (In Search Of The Reason For Poverty). He also creates awareness about the effects of liquor addiction on the health of people and on their families.

On Saturday afternoon, Kulkarni, principal of the Sitaram Sarda Vidyalaya school in Ahmednagar, was on his way home on his colleague Sunil Kulkarni’s two-wheeler. When they reached Rasane Nagar, three unknown persons rode up on a two-wheeler, stopped their vehicle and attacked him with an iron rod. Sunil Kulkarni tried to save Heramb from the attackers but was also beaten up. As a crowd gathered, the attackers fled on their two-wheeler. Heramb Kulkarni was admitted to the government hospital. He received four stitches on his head and was also treated for a leg injury.

When the police failed to arrest the attackers even after two days, on Monday morning, Pratima, Kulkarni’s wife, wrote a social media post about the attack and how the police had failed to take any action. The post went viral, and social activists as well as political leaders like NCP MP Supriya Sule condemned the attack on Kulkarni and criticised the government for the police inaction. Chief minister Eknath Shinde then took cognisance and personally spoke to Heramb Kulkarni and assured him of action and medical help.

As Kulkarni is a rationalist and has written critical pieces on superstitions, the attack was seen as coming from religious hardliners. However, Kulkarni himself felt the reasons were different. “I have been running a campaign to implement a government decision that bans the sale of tobacco and related items within 100 metres of educational institutions,” he told the media. “I have written to the local authorities against the paan shops near my school. Besides that, some people were parking their vehicles close to the school, which too I stopped with the help of the traffic department. These initiatives could be the reason behind the attack.”

When Shinde called Kulkarni to inquire about his health and the attack, Kulkarni repeated his suspicions. Shinde assured him that the government would take strict action in the case. He later called the superintendent of police and ordered him to arrest the suspects as soon as possible.