A group of 20 tribals, including minors from the Katkari tribe in Igatpuri taluka, were held captive by Pankaj Khatik in Ahmednagar district. They endured nearly five days without food while working in Khatik’s sugarcane field. When they attempted to return home, Khatik intercepted their pickup van at night, causing a standoff. One victim managed to reach a local police station in Ahmednagar, but initially, the case wasn’t taken seriously, leading to a flawed FIR.

Later, the necessary Acts were enforced as the situation escalated with all the victims gathering at Newasa police station, staging a sit-in protest on the intervening nights of Thursday and Friday nights last week. Following the issue`s escalation, Newasa police station`s in-charge, Shivaji Dohifade, faces a departmental inquiry initiated after legislators raised the matter during the ongoing Winter session in Nagpur.