Tribal men burnt with hot bars for illegal fishing in Maharashtra’s Amravati

The victims were identified as 25-year-old Ankush Mavaskar, Anand Kasdekar and Pappu Chavan. They went fishing in a forest that falls under the Akot Wildlife Division of the Melaghat Tiger Reserve.

A group of young tribal men who reportedly went fishing in Amravati's Melghat Tiger Reserve were roughed up by forest officials with a hot iron rod.

Three tribal youths who went fishing were burnt with hot bars by forest guards.

The victims were identified as 25-year-old Ankush Mavaskar, Anand Kasdekar and Pappu Chavan. They went fishing in a forest that falls under the Akot Wildlife Division of the Melaghat Tiger Reserve.

Fishing is illegal within the reserve. They were nabbed by forest officials for the unlawful act and then whipped with hot spit by the forest workers.

The official Twitter handle of The Dalit Voice shared a post about the incident and wrote, “A traumatic incident took place in Melghat of Amravati district of Maharashtra, three tribal youths who went fishing were burnt with hot bars by forest guards in a very painful manner”.

According to media reports, Waheed Khan Pathan, a social activist from Ranigaon, admitted the injured Mavaskar to the Upazila Hospital in Dharni. Pathan said he will demand immediate action against the forest employees. Mavaskar said that after being whacked with a hot stick, he managed to escape from the forest workers in a wounded state and return to his hamlet from the forest.

Forest officials, on the other hand, have refuted the claims levelled against them, stating that Mavaskar was not held by them, adding his two other village mates were only 'detained'.