CID to enquire into massacre of Dalit family at Bhandara dist

Mumbai, Nov 6 (UNI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil today said the probe into the recent massacre of a five-member Dalit family by villagers of Khairlanji in Bhandara district of Vidarbha region, will be handed over to CID.

Mr Patil told reporters here that the gruesome incident had taken place before Diwali. The deaths of five members of the Bhotmange family had sparked protests in Nagpur.

Mr Patil said so far 44 people have been arrested under section 302 of the IPC. He appealed for social harmony and urged that nobody should politcise the issue.

The villagers had killed the members of the family after they complained against harrassment to the local police.

Replying to questions about the agitation demanding hike in sugarcane prices in parts of Marathwada and Western Maharashtra, Mr Patil said the sugar factory management and sugarcane producers needed to find a solution to the issue.

He said a record 600 lakh quintal tonne sugarcane production was expected in this crushing season, out of which 70 lakh metric tonne sugar would be produced.

UNI MR PM/OBB KD BST1942