‘No oil adulteration in Nagpur’

After police resorted to lathi-charge, forcing villagers to flee, Rajurwadi village which is home to 250 families, is now almost deserted.

After police resorted to lathi-charge, forcing villagers to flee, Rajurwadi village which is home to 250 families, is now almost deserted. The villagers had attacked a police team that was on its way to raid an oil adulteration den in Rajurwadi village in Nagpur on Tuesday.

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Durga Pardhi, an elderly woman from the village, said, “It was the police who first assaulted the villagers, which forced them to retaliate.”

Interestingly, minister for civil supplies, Anil Deshmukh refuted the Nagpur police’s claims and said the Pardhi community was only involved in selling illicit liquor. “The kerosene was being used for domestic purposes. They may have attacked the police fearing that they were about to raid their illicit liquor den,” Deshmukh claimed.

District collector Pravin Darade said the district administration would investigate the matter and inquire how Rajput procured barrels of kerosene despite not having a licence. The sub-divisional officer of Umrer, Sanjay Dhiwre, will probe the matter.

Police said Rajput, a leader of the Pardhi community, has been engaged in the adulteration business for years. He is the lone non-pardhi resident of the village.