A two-year-old boy and his grandfather, belonging to the Phase Pardhi tribe, were lynched by people belonging to an upper caste in Beed district in September. Nearly three dozen people armed with sticks and iron rods, attacked the house of the family at night, raped the women, and burned down a plastic shanty that was a part of the house. The lynching was allegedly the result of a dispute between the family and a villager over farmland.

The house was located outside the Parner village’s limits. The deceased toddler’s mother said he was on her lap when accused Subhash Sondage and his father, Bhaorao, started caning her. “I lost the grip on my son and he fell. My son was crying as Subhash continued to hit me. I managed to pick up and shield my son for a few seconds even as they hit me. My head started bleeding and when I tried to suppress it with both my hands, Subhash took my son and flung him with force and he fell and died,” the woman said. Later, Subhash raped her.