Dalit Mahasangh’s Sangli district president murdered; one held

One person arrested after Dalit Mahasangh Sangli district president was allegedly murdered on his birthday and one of his attackers also died on the spot

Pune: The Sangli district president of the Dalit Mahasangh was allegedly murdered on his birthday late Tuesday, and one of his attackers also died on the spot. So far one person has been arrested, police said.

One person arrested after Dalit Mahasangh Sangli district president was allegedly murdered on his birthday and one of his attackers also died on the spot. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

The deceased leader has been identified as Uttam Jinnappa Mohite, 41. When Mohite was assaulted, his supporters tried to intervene, and in the chaos, assailant Sharya alias Shabya Shahrukh Shaikh got injured and subsequently died.

Sandip B Ghuge, superintendent of police, Sangli, said, “Mohite was killed at his home after the birthday celebrations. One of the assailants also died on the spot.”

“Prima facie, it appears there was an old dispute between the groups, and the murder may be linked to that,” Ghuge said.

The complainant, Jyoti Uttamrao Mohite, 30, wife of the deceased, stated that her husband had an argument earlier in the day with one of the accused, Ganesh More, who allegedly threatened him before leaving.

A short while later, at around 11:45 pm, More returned with seven associates — Satish Lokhande, Shaikh, Banya alias Yash Londhe, Ajay Ghadge, Jitendra Londhe, Yogesh Shinde, and Sameer Dhole — all residents of Indiranagar, Sangli. The group allegedly entered Mohite’s house armed with knives, sharp weapons, and iron rods and attacked him brutally, inflicting multiple wounds on his abdomen, chest, head, and hands, which led to his death.

When Mohite’s nephew, Yusef Satish Mohite, 21, tried to intervene, the accused allegedly stabbed him in the chest, leaving him seriously injured. Yusuf is currently undergoing treatment.

During the altercation, the accused group fatally stabbed Uttamrao. At the same time, Shaikh suffered a stab injury to his thigh. He was rushed to the civil hospital, where he was declared dead on Wednesday.

Police said that More, the deceased Shaikh, Londhe, Ghadge, and Dhole had previous criminal records and were booked earlier in cases involving violent offences.

Senior police officers from Sangli said, “We have not invoked lynching-related sections as the case does not meet the required criteria.”

Police further informed that two separate cases have been registered in connection with the incident.

A total of eight people, including More, Lokhande, Shaikh, Yash Londhe, Ajay Ghadge, Jitendra Londhe, Yogesh Shinde, and Sameer Dhole all from Indiranagar, Sangli have been booked under sections 103(1), 109(1), 333, 189(2), 190, 191(2), 191(3) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

In another case, except for the deceased, the same accused have been booked under sections 106(1) and 3(5) of the BNS.

So far, police have arrested Yogesh Shinde, while the search for the remaining accused is underway.