A 25-year-old Dalit man identified as Amit Murlidhar Salunkhe was allegedly murdered in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, by his in-laws from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community. This horrific incident occurred on July 14, 2024, following Salunkhe’s marriage to their 18-year-old daughter, which the family opposed.
Salunkhe was reportedly attacked with sharp instruments by his father-in-law and his wife’s brother. According to his wife, the family had previously warned her of potential “Sairat-like” revenge, referencing the 2016 Marathi film that depicts the consequences of inter-caste love. The attack happened in the presence of the couple’s family members, and Salunkhe succumbed to his injuries shortly after the assault.
Vidya Kirtishahi, the deceased’s wife, reportedly told the police that her parents had cited the plot of the popular Marathi-language film Sairat while warning her against the marriage, Indian Express reported.
“My parents wanted to forcibly marry me off to someone else. They had taken Rs 4 lakh from that youth, but that marriage was not acceptable to me. I married Amit with each other’s consent. We married as per our religious customs. Initially the families did not accept us. After marriage, my family threatened me that they would do our ‘Sairat’,” Kirtishahi told the police and The Indian Express quoted.
However, Kirtishahi’s 35-year-old cousin has been arrested in the case, her 52-year-old father has secured anticipatory bail.
”One person, Appasaheb Ashok Kirtishahi (35), has been arrested in this case. He is a close relative. The girl’s father Geetaram Bhaskar Kirtishahi (52) had secured interim anticipatory bail… We will be appealing in the Bombay High Court to get his bail cancelled,” the newspaper quoted Deputy Commissioner of Police Navneet Kumar Kavat as saying.
Official Response
Local authorities have initiated an investigation into the murder, and there is growing pressure on the state government to address the rising incidents of caste-based violence. Activists and community leaders have condemned the attack, calling for justice and stricter measures to protect individuals in inter-caste relationships.
Violence Faced by Dalits
A 28-year-old Dalit woman in the Sushant Golf City police station area accused seven people of raping her after kidnapping, when she was going to purchase medicine in the area earlier in July. Anwar Ruyani, a resident of Katra Baksa and allegedly the main accused in the crime, was arrested by a police unit. Reportedly, the accused beat up the woman and snatched away her cell phone.
Rishipal, who hails from Bhawarki Jadid village in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahabad, alleged that police tortured him because of a family dispute. The police detained him, beaten, and subjected to casteist insults. Following protests and uproar, a case was filed against two policemen, who, along with the chowki in-charge, have been suspended.
A 17-year-old Dalit girl from Kannauj district, Uttar Pradesh, died by suicide in July reportedly by hanging herself. The girl was allegedly kidnaped and raped by two persons identified as Puneet and Bhola. Following the incident the girl died by suicide by hanging herself.
