Republican Party of India activists staged a protest in Thane, Maharashtra, demanding justice after a party worker died following an attack, highlighting tensions and calls for swift action.
Activists of the Republican Party of India staged a protest outside a police station in Maharashtra's Thane city, demanding the immediate arrest of those involved in the attack on a local party worker, leading to his death, officials said on Wednesday.
The angry protesters gathered at the Srinagar police station late Tuesday night. The police later pacified them, assuring them of swift action in the case.
A man and his son allegedly attacked RPI activist Ashok Kamble (42) on May 8 in the Wagle Estate area over a dispute. Kamble succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital on Tuesday night.
The police had initially registered a case of attempt to murder against the duo, but after the activist's death, they invoked the charge of murder under Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in the case, the officials said.
"The accused man, Arjun Kokane, was arrested the day the crime was registered. The police have launched a manhunt for his son, Akash," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Wagle Estate division) Ravindra Daundkar said.
More than 50 RPI activists staged a protest outside the Srinagar police station on Tuesday night, but later dispersed after being assured of appropriate action in the case, an official from the Thane police control room said.
The animosity between Kamble and the accused stemmed from an incident during the Ambedkar Jayanti procession on April 14, the victim's wife claimed in her police complaint.
On the night of May 8, the accused allegedly assaulted Kamble with a sickle, leaving him with grievous injuries, to which he succumbed on Tuesday, the police said.