CID to probe tribal’s death-Thane(Shahpur case)

Dear All,

The local Tehsildar has paid Rs.10,000/- and one month Ration has a compensation,which is a meager amount.Jayabai said 'Will this bring back my husband alive?.Jayabai needs Justice the perpetrator of such heinous crime must be punished severely and set an example to the case and give the Katkari community a respect who has being sidelined since long.

It was a Welcome move by Bombay HC to take suo-moto of the report and also the media reporter who made it.

This proactive role of media will make our society and democracy truly vibrant.

Regards

Soheb Lokhandwala

 

A day after the Bombay High Court took suo moto notice of the report published in DNA on Tuesday (Chained, tortured, beaten to death for just Rs6,000), the state government agreed to a criminal investigation department (CID) inquiry into the torture and killing of a Katkari tribal in rural Thane.

Home minister RR Patil announced a CID inquiry into the incident "to establish those who are responsible in burying the case and delaying justice". When activist Vivek Pandit met Patil on Wednesday, he said: "We will not spare anyone who is found guilty."

Jhipru Mukane, 35, of Shere village in Thane district's Shahpur taluka, 100 km from Mumbai, died last Tuesday after being kept chained and tortured into working as a bonded labourer. His wife, Jayabai, had alleged police apathy as they refused to take her complaint.

After the police found themselves under the high court scanner, they swung into action. It also helped that activists Indavi Tupule and Pandit upped pressure on the police by gathering evidence in the presence of tahsildar Sunil Bhutale and senior police inspector Ganpat Pingle.

Between 10pm on Tuesday and 6am the next day, the police not only recorded Jayabai's statement but also registered offences and arrested the accused, kiln owner Balu Choudhari and his two sons, Ganesh and Bunty. With the arrest, more horror stories of exploitation are emerging

Deepak Bhosale, 35, Kaluram Mukane, 33, Raju Mukane 29, and Ekka Mukane, 31, were also kept fettered and forced into bonded labour by Choudhari and his sons.

"Seeing the barbaric torture of Jhipru, a frail Bhosale escaped," Tulpule said. "The others have been freed now and they want their statements to be recorded."

The police, in their hurry to bury the case, had tried to make Mukane's death look like an accident. DNA is in possession of copies of "eye-witness statements" taken by the police on the night Mukane died. The three bonded labourers have been made eye-witnesses by the police. Each statement is a narration about how Mukane fell, injured himself due to excessive drinking and died.

The activists said Mukane's case is not rare.

"The Katkaris who live in Pune, Thane and Raigad districts are among five primitive tribes of India and among the poorest. They are being forced into labour-intensive work for inhumanly long hours. I hope this case is an eye-opener for the government," said Tulpule.

Who are the Katkaris?
Katkaris are among the five primitive tribes of India There are 2,35,022 Katkaris in Pune, Thane and Raigad districts of Maharashtra.

Largely dependent on forest and fishing, a few these farm labourers also grow paddy.

It is common to see them forced to work as bonded labourers in brick kilns, stone quarries and sand dredging.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_cid-to-probe-tribals-death_1619682