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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

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  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
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Kuhi gang-rape case: Thousands gherao police station to demand justice

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By Dheeraj Fartode
Angry villagers of Kuhi tehsil on Monday observed Bandh and expressed their deep anguish against the brutual gang rape and dacoity case. Villagers, including school and college girls, stormed the streets of Kuhi on Monday morning and marched to Kuhi police station and Grampanchayat to register their strong protest against the dastardly act. A group of armed dacoits on wee hours of Saturday raided a house in four villages and looted gold ornaments, cash and raped an 18-year-old girl.



The villagers along with different social and political organisations gathered at the Police station and Grampanchayat and demanded stern action against culprits. The agitators submitted a memorandum to Superintendent of Police Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma demanding better policing to protect the lives and properties of the villagers. Addressing the protesters, Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma said that cops will take stern action against all culprits and no mercy will be shown towards anyone. Police Chowki will be opened between Kuhi and Pachgaon village and cops will increase night patrolling in the area, the SP added.


Superintendent of Police Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma
addressing the protesters. 

Ishwar Dhanjode, Sarpanch of Kuhi village said that, “Cops have done a fairly good job as they have identified and nabbed culprits within two days. The incident on Saturday midnight was a heinous one and has shocked the villagers of Kuhi tehsil. He demanded protection and extra care of women of the tehsil.


To register the protest against the heinous crime, all shops of the tehsil were shut down. The spontaneous bandh was observed between 10 am and 6 pm. There was heavy police bandobast in all villages in the surrounding areas. A senior police officer said that extra State Reserve Police Force and commandos are deployed in the tehsil to maintain security in villages like Navargaon, Dipala, Chitapur, Tarni and Dhanoli- the village in which the 18 year-old gang rape victim resides.
Villagers including school girls are protesting against the crime.

Chairperson of Panchyat Samiti Nanda Tijare, Deputy Chairman Sanjay Waghmare, Astik Sahare, Zill Parishad member Dr Shivaji Sonsare, Kripal Tumane, Vinod Harde, Vickey Bhalotiya, Ramkrishna Dahake, Raju Yelne, Namdeo Marbate, Munna Kamble, Pandurang Burade, Yashvant Giradkar, Suryabhan Lanjewar, Mahendra Bhalotiya, Rama Chacherkar, Anurag Chandurkar, Swapnil Lende, Shubham Gahlod, Pallavi Wande, Pratibha Deshmukh and many others were took part in the morcha. Central General Secretary of Nag Vidarbha Andolan Samiti Ahmed Kadar also registered his protest at Kuhi police station. 


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