Maharashtra student dies after assault over alleged harassment
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Mumbai: An 18-year-old B.Com student has died after allegedly being assaulted by a group of men in Maharashtra’s Dharashiv district following accusations that he had harassed and stalked a relative of a former local civic body chief.
The victim, Sameer Jabbar Patel, was a first-year B.Com student at Tuljabhavani Mahavidyalaya in Tuljapur. Police said the assault occurred between the evening of November 3 and the early hours of November 4, after Patel was accused of following and troubling the daughter of a relative of Santosh Kadam, a former Tuljapur Municipal Council president.
According to the FIR filed by Patel’s family, Kadam had first confronted the teenager about three months earlier. He allegedly summoned Patel and his parents to his home, accused him of stalking and harassing his niece, and warned the family to keep him away from the girl.
The family alleged that Patel was assaulted during that meeting as well. After the incident, he reportedly stopped attending college and began working at a bakery while continuing to prepare for his examinations.
On November 3, Patel had gone to pick up his uncle. Hours later, his family was told that he had been taken to Kadam’s house.
His mother, Ansar, alleged that when she reached the house, Kadam and his brother-in-law, Sanjay Vilas Jadhav, assaulted her son and threatened and abused her. She said Kadam then called other men to the house and took Patel and his cousin, Arbaz Sayyed, away with them.
The FIR also named Pranav Devkate for allegedly snatching Ansar’s mobile phone and detaining the family for several hours. The family said they were released around 11:30 pm, while Patel was subjected to a severe assault.
Patel’s family alleged that he was beaten with bamboo sticks and belts until he died. They said his body was later abandoned in a parking area near Bharatibuva Math, from where relatives rushed him to a government hospital. Doctors declared him dead on arrival.
His cousin Sayyed was also assaulted and sustained serious injuries. A video circulating online appears to show a group of men surrounding Patel and striking him with sticks and lathis; another clip shows Sayyed in a hospital bed with visible injuries.
Kadam and Jadhav were arrested on November 6 and remanded to seven days’ police custody. Police have registered a case against eight people, including Kadam, under charges including murder and kidnapping under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; a search is underway for the remaining accused.
The case has triggered widespread outrage. AIMIM corporator Azhar Mujawar submitted a complaint seeking strict action against those responsible.