Six years have passed and the family of 30-year-old Rahul Babaji Phatangade, the only person killed in the Koregaon Bhima violence, waits for justice.
Phatangade, who operated a garage in Chandan Nagar in Pune city, belonged to the Maratha community. He lived with his mother at Sainath Nagar in Sanaswadi village, a few kilometres away from Koregaon Bhima in Pune district.
On the day of violence, a huge number of people, mainly Ambedkarites, had gathered to visit Jaystambh, a British war monument at Perne village near Koregaon Bhima, to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima, which was fought between the British and Peshwas on January 1, 1818.
The violence that started in Koregaon Bhima later spread to adjoining villages, including Sanaswadi, on January 1, 2018. The police said during the violence, Phatangade was out for some work.
He was allegedly picked up by a mob and then assaulted to death around 5.30 pm, at a spot near the Gaware Petrol Pump. The mob chased Phatangade as he was wearing a jacket with a picture of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and then attacked him, causing his death, the police said.
While Phatangade was killed, several others including policemen, local villagers, and the Ambedkarites, who had gathered from different parts of the state, were injured during the riots.
On January 2, 2018, Phatangade’s friend Datta Sitaram Pardhe lodged the First Information Report (FIR) in connection with his murder at the Shikrapur police station of Pune rural police.
During the investigation, the Pune rural police arrested three men identified as Akshay Alhat, Chetan Alhat, and Tushar Jaunjale, all from Shrigonda in Ahmednagar district, on January 10. Later, the investigation was transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
While probing the case, the CID claimed to have got clues from a video showing some suspects attacking Phatangade. On June 8, 2018, the CID held a press conference and released a video and photographs of four suspects allegedly involved in Phatangade’s murder. CID officials appealed to citizens to give information, if they had any, about the suspects.
Meanwhile, the CID arrested a youngster Suraj Shinde of Tembhurni in Solapur district in the murder case on June 13, same year. After that, no more arrests were made.
A chargesheet was filed against the suspects arrested by the Pune rural police. However, the courts released all four suspects on bail in 2019 and 2020. As per police records, one of the suspects Chetan Alhat died on December 23, 2019, just a few days after he was released on bail.
All suspects claimed they were innocent and falsely implicated. The case is still pending before a court in Pune.
Phatangade’s cousin Tejas Dhawade said, “We have been demanding a fair investigation and speedy trial. All persons involved in Rahul’s murder should get strong punishment as per the law. It was an unfortunate incident. Rahul was innocent and should get justice. At the same time, we appeal to the people to maintain peace”.
Phatangade’s brother Vishnu Phatangade, a constable with the Pune rural police, had been on duty in the Koregaon Bhima area in the previous years on January 1.
The state government had given Rs 10 lakh to Phatangade’s family. Also, police personnel voluntarily collected Rs 4.93 lakh, which they handed to Phatangade’s family.