Locals blame police inaction for Maratha protester's death

The teenager was beaten up during the protest in Koparkhairane

Nineteen-year-old Rohan Todkar, who was part of the Maratha protests, succumbed to his injuries in JJ Hospital on Thursday night after getting beaten up during the agitation by villagers in Koparkhairane. Furious agitators, who were protesting with him, now want strict action against the culprits.

Residents are just as angry at the police, saying they failed to stop the protest, and its related incidents, from getting worse. Morcha mayhem Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale said, "Rohan got injured during the protest in Koparkhairane. He was admitted to Navi Mumbai Corporation Hospital. But on the night of July 25, doctors shifted him to JJ Hospital, where he died during treatment. A murder and rioting case has been registered against unknown persons at Koparkhairane police station and investigation is on."

Rohan Todkar

Todkar, whose body was sent to his parents in Maval, stayed with his uncle Shankar Shinde in Navi Mumbai and worked at a private mobile service company. Shinde said, "Rohan came home early because of the morcha but left at 4.30 pm to join the protests. When he didn't return even at 9.30 pm, I called his phone, but it was switched off. My son and I searched for him; when we couldn't find him, we lodged a complaint.

"On Thursday, the police told us a boy found in a pool of blood had been sent to JJ Hospital. But when we reached there, we were taken straight to the mortuary. I couldn't even begin to process what had happened and how to break it to his parents."

Residentspeak
A resident, Nilesh Shinde, said, "It's because the police didn't take action on time. They couldn't handle the situation, and even the commissioner came late in the night, after it had got worse. "We want a probe. I heard that some villagers held two men, including Rohan, and beat them up. They don't have a right to kill anyone; they should have just handed over the protesters to the police for whatever wrong they had done. We want the police to arrest those who are responsible for this."

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