New Delhi: On February 23, Vishwa Hindu Parishad worker Sachin Varadkar allegedly overheard a 15-year-old boy praising the Pakistan cricket team’s performance at Malvan, Maharashtra. It was late in the evening and the Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan was on.
Varadkar gathered 50-60 men from the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and the controversial Hindutva outfit Sakal Hindu Samaj and ganged up on the boy. The men beat up the 15-year-old and stormed his house where they exchanged words with the boy’s father, a 38-year-old scrap dealer.
The same night, Varadkar registered a complaint at the Malvan police station against the minor boy and his family. He claimed that the boy had raised “anti-national” slogans. On that very day, police arrested the man, his wife and detained their minor son.
The next day, February 24, the Sakal Hindu Samaj led a procession, demanding strict action against the boy’s father.
Later in the day, Malvan municipality authorities demolished their house and shop. They also demolished a shop belonging to the brother of the boy’s father. All of this action was in violation of the Supreme Court’s November 2024 order against such demolitions.
The Supreme Court, in its recent landmark judgment, had made it clear that demolitions without prior notice, hearings, or investigation violate natural justice and the right to shelter, guaranteed under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the family were denied any legal representation by the Malvan Bar Association. Nonetheless, while police had requested custody of the boy’s parents “for further investigation,” a court rejected the plea and granted them bail with certain conditions. However, they were not released till late Wednesday (February 26) as bail formalities were still pending. The boy, who had been placed in an observation home, was handed over to his uncle on February 24.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
