Representative image

AMRAVATI/NAGPUR: Satish Madavi , a naik police constable, posted at Chandur Railway police station of Amravati rural police, was allegedly lynched by bootleggers of the Banjara community during an anti-liquor raid on Sunday. The cop was with Asst Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shamrao Jadhav during the raid at Manjarkhed village, around 7km from the city, on Sunday. Jadhav, beat in-charge of Farasgate Chowky , too was assaulted and is now fighting for life in hospital.

Jadhav and Madavi had apparently received information regarding a country liquor manufacturing unit inside the forest adjoining a settlement of Banjara community at Manjarkhed. The Banjara camp with a handful of families is around 3km from the Chandur Railway-Amravati Road.

The police department of Vidarbha region had been recently pulled up by Union minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir , for not cracking down on illegal activities like cattle smuggling, and anti-social elements.

After reaching the spot inside the forest, Jadhav and Madavi destroyed the prepared crude brew, and also damaged the set up, and then started back. The cops were on a police department bike allocated to Jadhav as beat in-charge.

Police sources said Jadhav and Madavi were intercepted on their way back to the chowky by a gang of bootleggers, who started raining blows on the cops with bamboo sticks and axe. As the cops fell to the ground, the bootleggers continued their assault. After the attackers left, the injured Jadhav called up the police warden of Manjarkhed village to inform him about the incident. The police warden and a few others rushed to the place, and then alerted an ambulance through ‘108’ service.

The injured cops were shifted to a primary health centre at Manjarkhed, from where they were shifted to a hospital at Chandur Railway. Madavi, who had bled throughout, was declared dead. Jadhav was then shifted to Amravati city. It’s learnt that both cops received grave injuries on head and all over the body.

SP, Amravati range, Abhinash Kumar said the cops have already rounded up some suspects, and are now trying to locate some eyewitnesses since the incident took place close to the road. “Police generally face stone-pelting and some weak resistance from bootleggers, who prefer to flee rather than fight during raids. The rage to this extent is an unusual phenomenon for us, and we are trying to ascertain the reasons for it,” he said.

IG, Amravati Range, CH Wakde said the government has been already briefed about the incident. “We are now conducting the probe on the basis of the statement of injured ASI (Jadhav),” he said. “The injured and deceased shall receive all facilities as per government norms,” he said.

Sources from Chandur Railway police station said an offence of murder, attempt to murder, and other charges have been registered against the tribals.

