E-Paper
Villagers lynch Dalit sarpanch
Villagers in Phooljhar, about 90 km from Raipur, beat their Dalit sarpanch, Bholaram, to death on Friday, reportedly infuriated by his offensive behaviour, reports Ejaz Kaiser.
Villagers in Phooljhar, about 90 km from Raipur, beat their Dalit sarpanch, Bholaram, to death on Friday, reportedly infuriated by his offensive behaviour.
After battering him to death, the mob set his body ablaze. The police, however, managed to recover the burnt body.
Villagers told police that Bholaram misbehaved with people at the local exhibition on Thursday. And on Friday morning, he reportedly attacked three villagers with an axe, injuring them seriously. The three had allegedly objected to Bholaram's "rowdy" behaviour during the cultural programme in the fair.
Enraged, villagers beat the sarpanch to death.
Raipur SP Amit Kumar told the
Hindustan Times
that Bholaram was killed by villagers.
According to police, Phooljhar village has a history of friction between the Sahu Samaj and the Satnami community (who are a Scheduled Caste). Police suspect the killing of the sarpanch, a Satnami, to be the outcome of the long-running feud.
