Cop asked boy: You want to make a Sairat sequel?

The Navi Mumbai police have suspended two sub-inspectors for alleged lapses over the murder of the 16-year-old Dalit boy in Nerul. According to the boy’s uncle, one of the sub-inspectors asked his nephew if he wanted to make a sequel to the hit Marathi film Sairat, which explores the relationship between a boy and a girl from different castes.

The Navi Mumbai police have suspended two sub-inspectors for alleged lapses over the murder of the 16-year-old Dalit boy in Nerul. According to the boy’s uncle, one of the sub-inspectors asked his nephew if he wanted to make a sequel to the hit Marathi film Sairat, which explores the relationship between a boy and a girl from different castes.

According to the police, the suspended sub-inspectors didn’t treat the matter as important when the boy’s family told them about the frequent threats they had been receiving from the accused over the past few days. After the boy was murdered on Tuesday night, his family told the police about the sub-inspectors’ alleged negligence, upon which a departmental inquiry was launched against them.

Hemant Nagrale, police commissioner of Navi Mumbai, said, “We have suspended sub-inspectors Sonali Rajguru and Yogesh Mane. The order was issued late on Wednesday evening.” Nearly 100 people had thronged the police station on Wednesday afternoon, seeking action against the two sub-inspectors.

The boy’s father Sahaji Sonawne, a banker, said, “We had informed the police about the threats we had been receiving but they did not take our complaints seriously. Our son died because of their negligence.”

“On Monday, the girl’s brother Sagar and some of his friends had called my nephew to the compound gate, saying they needed a pen drive from him. When my nephew went out they shoved him into an auto and assaulted him. When the police were told about this, they simply ignored it. Because of their negligence, the accused were emboldened and went on to kill my nephew,” he said.

“We hold these two sub-inspectors and a constable responsible for what happened. The police also should take legal action against them,” he added.

The town was tense after the murder but no untoward incidents were reported.

Adhikrao Pol, senior inspector at Nerul police station, said, “We took all precautionary measures to maintain law and order. Our officials were also deployed near the homes of both the families and the situation was normal.”