Nashik rape may fire Maratha anger against state government

MUMBAI: A16-year old Dalit boy’s alleged attempt to rape a five-year old Maratha girl in Nashik once again pitched the Maratha community against the state government and could pose further problems for embattled Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

As news of the alleged incident on Saturday at Talegaon in Nashik spread, enraged members of Maratha community came out on the roads, blocked the Mumbai-Agra highway and began vandalising and torching vehicles including those belonging to the police.

The protestors even landed up at the residence of the accussed and ransacked his home, people familiar with the matter said. The police arrested the accused and booked him under POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

This did not suffice to quell the anger of the Marathas, who have been on the warpath since a minor girl belonging to the community was brutally gangraped by Dalit men in Kopardi in Ahmednagar in July.

Since the incident the state has been witnessing mammoth Maratha rallies as the community has used the incident to press for capital punishment for the Kopardi accussed and reservation for the community and abolition of the SC/ST Atrocity Act.

As wild rumours began spreading about the incident, the Maharashtra CM appealed to the people not to fall prey to rumours and said that the culprit has been arrested and the government will ensure that the trial is put on the fast track.

Fadnavis, who was pilloried for not visiting the family of the Kopardi victim after the July incident, has asked irrigation minister Girish Mahajan to visit the family of the victim. Speculation is rife that the latest incident could push the Marathas to protest more aggressively for their demands.