Countering Dalit outbursts in the aftermath of the Kherlanji massacre, the saffron brigade, which had kept silence over this incident, joined hands on 13 November 2006. It brought Bhandara city to naught by raking up a case of alleged rape and murder of a 10-year-old minor OBC girl by a criminal belonging to the Scheduled Caste. The bandh, which did not have the collector's permission, was a success.

The business establishments took no chances, even as the activists of Bajrang Dal, the Viswa Hindu Parishad, the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party took out a morcha and demanded that the culprit be brought to book. "Why is the Dalit accused being shielded by the police?" the protestors, who mobilised the OBCs in Bhandara, asked the administration. "The girl's mother wants justice," the activists said.

The accused, Sudhakar Ramteke, had allegedly taken the victim Ankita Lanjewar to an isolated place near Berodi village, where he raped her, before killing her. The incident had taken place on 13 October 2006, but the accused is still at large. The Bhandara police said Sudhakar was wanted in 33 criminal cases. "This crime also is heinous but can't be seen as a parallel to the Kherlanji incident," the police said.

Yet, the bandh on 13 November 2006 clearly indicates a polarisation among communities in the district on caste lines, a Bhandara police officer said. The police admitted that it was a cause of concern. "The politics is taking an ugly turn, because a spark might lead to violent fallout against Dalits," he feared. That was why the district administration had refused permission to the bandh call.

But persistent with their demand, some of the Bajrang Dal activists sought police protection for the victim's mother Kalpana Lanjewar saying she faced threat to her life from the accused. Significantly, though the Congress and NCP leaders in Bhandara did not come out in the open, they did support the bandh, sources in the police revealed.

Sporadic incidents of arson and road-blockages were reported from the city, but there was no loss to life or property, the police said.

(Source: DNA India)