Tension gripped Katol town in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district, which is around 40 km from here, following the arrest of a leader of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) on Friday. The leader, Rahul Deshmukh (50), was arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and The Maharashtra Protection of People from Social Boycott Act for allegedly calling for the social boycott of a particular community after the death of a woman.
On May 4, a 24-year-old woman from Katol ended her life on railway tracks. Although it was initially considered to be a case of accidental death, investigation later revealed that the woman was in a relationship with one Irfan Ali (25), despite her family members being against it. The parents of the woman suspected foul play and alleged that four members of the man’s family had murdered her. They sought help from Deshmukh, who promised to assist them. He subsequently distributed pamphlets calling for the social boycott of the particular community.
Former state home minister Anil Deshmukh opposed Rahul Deshmukh’s arrest, and the PWP leader was later granted bail by the court under the condition of maintaining social harmony and refraining from inciting law and order issues.