Only halfway to justice

That's how Ramabai Nagar locals view verdict; say justice will only be done if the police nab the person who desecrated Ambedkar's statue

That's how Ramabai Nagar locals view verdict; say justice will only be done if the police nab the person who desecrated Ambedkar's statue

Even though their fight for 12 long years led to a life sentence for suspended State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) officer Manohar Kadam yesterday, the residents of Ramabai Nagar, Govandi, are not too jubilant. They complain that there was still no sign of the person who desecrated the statue, which they see as the root cause of the death of 10 of their neighbours on July 11, 1997.



"The police have done nothing to arrest those who dishonoured the statue," said Vikas Pawar, a key witness in the case and one of the locals leading the fight for justice.



Dr Harish Ahire, who was one of the first few to notice the shoe garland on the statue, had a similar grouse.

"The police need to nab the culprits who insulted Babasaheb. Had they not desecrated the statue, there would have been no riots, no firing and no deaths."

Death for death

Meanwhile, many residents feel the court was too soft on Kadam. Said Sudhir Dalve, head, Ramabai Ambedker Hathaykand Virodhi Sangrash Samiti, the committee formed to fight for justice for the locals, "We are happy that the result went in our favour. However, we wanted a death penalty for Kadam."

Added another committee member Sumedh Jadhav, "He killed 10 innocent people and should be hanged."

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