Is Caste Hatred a New Govt Policy in Maharashtra? AIISCA Blasts Govt, Demands Justice for Beed Dalit Youth

Beed- The All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association (AIISCA) has issued a strongly-worded condemnation of the brutal mob attack on a Dalit youth, and his family in Shirapur Gat in Beed district of Maharashtra. The incident, which took place on a week ago, has been described as a premeditated act of caste terror aimed at crushing the dignity and humanity of a Dalit family.

AIISCA has accused the Maharashtra government and law enforcement of deliberate inaction, pointing to the delayed police response, the hospital’s refusal to provide timely medical and legal assistance, and the failure to file a medico-legal case until external pressure was applied. 

What happened on June 4

The horrifying incident of caste violence took place in Shirapur Gat village when a Dalit youth Vaibhav Khandgale (32) and his family were attacked by upper caste people. This attack on Vaibhav was done only because he had helped a Dalit teenager.

Vaibhav returned home from his office at around 6 pm on June 4. He saw that a Dalit teenager of the village was unwell and no one was helping him. Vaibhav immediately took him to the hospital. At 7:30 pm, when he returned home and was sitting outside, 10-12 upper caste (Maratha) people suddenly attacked him in a car. Some of Vaibhav's old classmates were also among them.

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers hurled caste-slurs, saying, "Khoop jaast paishacha maaj ahe ka tula? Maharache lokam lay majalet..." ("Are you crazy about money? These Mahar (Dalit) people have become very arrogant..."). They thrashed Vaibhav with an iron rod, looted his wallet (₹8,000) and also stole his mother's gold jewellery from inside the house. The mob dragged them out on the street and beat them relentlessly while more than 200 villagers watched, not intervening.

When Vaibhav's parents returned, his mother tried to save him, but she too was hurled caste-slurs and sustained minor injuries. Meanwhile, the mother of the Dalit youth whom Vaibhav had taken to the hospital was also attacked. The entire Dalit community was abused and threatened with social boycott.

AIISCA alleges that the police deliberately avoided invoking critical sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) while filing false counter-cases against the victims, a tactic it claims is influenced by caste bias within the administration. The victims and their families remain unprotected, while the accused roam free, shielded by caste privilege and political connections.

The association has raised urgent questions about the state of democracy and constitutional values in Maharashtra, asking whether the government’s silence and inaction signify an endorsement of caste supremacy. AIISCA has demanded the immediate arrest of all accused under relevant sections of the BNS and SC/ST Act, disciplinary action against negligent police and medical officials, the quashing of fabricated counter-cases, witness protection, and a special court-monitored trial overseen by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). It has also called for an independent probe into administrative complicity in caste-based impunity.