Dalit farmer killed over goat grazing in Bidar

A 45-year-old Dalit farmer, identified as Rajkumar Vitalrao Shinde, was allegedly killed in Bhalki taluk, Bidar district, after an altercation over goats entering an agricultural field at Jirgyal village on Thursday. The Mehakar police have registered a case against four individuals, all farmers from the same village, for the incident.

According to the complaint filed by the deceased's mother, Susheela, Rajkumar regularly took his goats out for grazing, but four to five days prior to the incident, the goats had entered Pradeepa Lade's field, causing damage to the crops. In retaliation, Pradeepa had reprimanded Rajkumar. On Thursday, Rajkumar went to graze the goats at around 11 a.m. His brother Mahendra brought him lunch at around 12.15 p.m. Mahendra then informed his mother that, upon visiting Rajkumar, four individuals - Pradeep Vamanrao Lade, Rajkumar Muralidhar Biradar, Sharad Vamanrao Lade, and Shubham Sharad Lade - had confronted him over the goats' intrusion into their field.

The accused allegedly used caste-related slurs against Rajkumar. Pradeepa subsequently took an axe and struck Rajkumar on the head, causing severe bleeding. When Susheela arrived at the scene, the accused had fled. The injured Rajkumar was found by his wife Vitalrao Shinde, and he succumbed to his injuries. The police have registered the case under specific sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.