Palghar: More than 2,500 tribals and villagers from Jawhar gheraoed and squatted in front of the Jawhar police station on Sunday, demanding action against three policemen allegedly responsible for the suicide of a 60-year-old man, sources said.
The irate mob refused to bring down the body of the old man who had hung himself to death from a tree after which his body was spotted this morning by villagers.
According to villagers, it was about one and a half month ago, when a totally charred body was found by the rural police, after which neither the victim nor the killers have been identified by the police.
However, some eight days ago, a group of three policemen including one P B Shelkade went to the farm where an old man who has been identified as Navshu Bembat Khutade (60) residing at Vinval was picked up and allegedly beaten up black and blue by policemen.
The hapless old man fled the village after which his body was found hanging from the tree on Sunday, villagers said.
The dead man's sons, Yeshwant Khutade (30) and Dhavlu Khutade (28) who were also present among members of the irate mob told reporters that their father was innocent and not at all connected with the charred body.
They said that after police atrocities their father was afraid of his life and committed suicide, demanding that action be taken against the three policemen responsible and offences under the Indian Penal Code be registered against them.
The mob declared that they would not not bring down the dead old man's body from the tree until the police registers an offence against them as well as arrest them, the two brothers said.
Until Sunday evening, no senior police officer of the police station was available to comment or talk about their version of the incident. Senior police officials were also conspicuous by their absence and indifferent approach.
