Pune teen burned alive for being Hindu: Right wing groups

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Pune: On January 13th a Pune teenager was burnt alive in a horrific attack. 17-year-old Savan Rathod was a rag-picker in Pune. On the afternoon of the attack, he had stepped into a side alley in Kasba Peth to urinate. Once there, he was accosted by three men - Imran and Zuber Tamboli (who are brothers), and Ibrahim Sheikh.

The three men accused him of being responsible for a slew of car battery thefts in the area. The allegations quickly escalated and for some reason the three took the boy, poured diesel on him and set him on fire. Rathod suffered over 70% burns on his body.

The trio later doused the flames and dumped Rathod at the Shivajinagar bus stand, some thirty kilometers from the spot of the attack. He managed to reach a nearby police chowky, from where he was admitted to Sassoon hospital. He died of his injuries on January 15.

Police later checked CCTV footage, made enquiries and arrested the three suspects soon after. They are currently in judicial custody.

So far, it appeared that the case was one of deranged murder. However the case is currently acquiring a communal hue, as per new allegations made by several right-wing groups and the Banjara Kranti Dal. Rathod was from the Banjara caste.

The new allegations are based off a video, which a lawyer named Ramesh Rathod claims to have filmed in the hospital in the presence of the boy's father and "other activists". The lawyer claimed that this should be considered his dying declaration.

According to the lawyer, Savan stated that he was urinating in the alley when he was stopped by three men. They asked him if he was Hindu, which he confirmed, and then they poured 'something from a can' and set him on fire.

The Indian Express, which claims to have seen the video (which is also doing the rounds on social media), states -

"Those recording the video then ask Savan if he feels he was burnt because he is a Hindu. To this, Savan is seen nodding his head."

Savan did not make this claim when he originally reported his attack to the police.

Various right-wing groups, and the Banjara Kranti Dal, have since agitated before the police, and are threatening to go on a full scale protest on January 27 if the case was not investigated via this religious angle. They claim that the attack resembles 'ISIS style' attacks and are demanding an investigation into the extremist links of the suspects.

Speaking to the Indian Express, DCP Tushar Doshi said -

"We probed the backgrounds of all three suspects. No communal links have been found so far. They have committed a gruesome crime. But there is no evidence to say the intention behind it was communal. After nabbing Savan, the assailants questioned him for battery theft for a few hours. We confirmed at least two spots where they took Savan, suspecting he had sold stolen batteries here. Then they forcibly made him drink petrol and set him on fire. Savan Rathod's video at the hospital could be an afterthought as he did not mention anything of a communal nature when FIR was lodged."

Savan's father told the Indian Express -

"Savan left home about a week before his death following a petty quarrel with his sister. After coming to know about the incident, I reached Sassoon hospital on Thursday evening. I asked him what happened. From what he told me I believe that assailants did ask him whether he was a Hindu and then burnt him alive after he said yes,"

Further investigations are ongoing.