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

  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,...

Goon murdered infront of his mother and brother

DCP Sanjay Darade inspecting the murder spot at Babulban.



By Dheeraj Fartode

A mother bid to save his son went in vain as assailants murdered the history sheeter in full public view at Babulban area of Lakadganj police station on Sunday afternoon. The assailants who numbered around seven said they had come to resolve a dispute that Atish alias Balya Haribhau Meshram (26) had with Nitesh Jadhav whose driver was yesterday assaulted. However the moment Balya stepped out of house, the seven laced with knives and swords pounced on him and felled him to ground.
Hearing the screams, Balya’s mother rushed to door sensing the worst. She was aided by her other son and two tried to defend the history sheeter who was outnumbered as well as taken by surprise. The gang of killers it seems determined to finish their business and pushed aside Meshram mother-son duo and right in front of their eyes murdered Balya.
The incident occurred near Sugat Buddha Vihar around 3 pm. The attackers were identified as Vivek Jadhav, Jitu Jadhav, Rakesh Jadhav, Surendra Tikle, Suresh Khobragade, Chinya Autowala, Avinash and Kulli. A police officer said immediate provocation for attack was yesterday quarrel outside a beer bar wherein Balya had allegedly assaulted Nitesh’s driver. Though that time Nitesh intervened and prevented further escalation of the fight.
However Nitesh himself led the assailants as they wanted to square off with Balya who was an accused in murder of a goon Tarbez but was acquitted in the case.
Meanwhile the attack lasted barely few minutes and Jadhav and his accomplices walked away unchallenged from the spot. Staff of Lakadganj police station rushed to the spot and sent the body to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Mayo Hospital for autopsy. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III) Sanjay Darade visited the spot and directed police officers to arrest the accused persons.
Lakadganj police have registered a case under sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 302 and 34 of Indian Penal Code (IPC); read with sub section 3, 7 of Criminal Law Amendment Act; secs. 4, 25 of Arms Act; and sec. 135 of Bombay Act.

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