Malegaon: Additional District Collector of Malegaon, Yashwant Sonawane, has been burnt alive by people involved in black marketing of petrol and diesel. The tragic incident took place about 10 kms from Malegaon in Maharashtra's Nashik district on Tuesday afternoon.
Sonawane was going to Nandgaon for a tehsildar meeting when he spotted a few trucks parked in a very suspicious manner near a road side eatery where the depots of IOC, HPCL and BPCL are located. The area is infamous for smuggling and adulteration of petrol, diesel and kerosene.
Sonawane got off the car and started investigating about the trucks when a man identified as Popat Shinde, who has a reputation of running an oil, petrol and diesel smuggling racket, along with his men attacked the officer.
He was reportedly beaten up by Shinde and his men and then set on fire. Shinde was detained by police and was taken to the Malegaon Civil Hospital after he also suffered burn injuries.
The other attackers fled after the incident and police have launched a massive manhunt to track and arrest them.
Sonawane was known to be a sincere and upright officer. He was accompanied by his personal assistant and another staff member and had no police cover.
He had received some information about oil adulteration a week ago from his sources.
Four people including Shinde and his son have been arrested so far.
Sonawane's family and friends are too shocked to react.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has ordered an inquiry and has said that strictest possible action would be taken against the offenders.
Chavan has said that officers on such assignments will get full police protection.
"It is a very shocking incident that has happened and it deplored the tendency of those people who want to take law in their hands. Government will never tolerate such a thing. The collector when they go on a raid, if they feel, the full police protection is given. We are finding out why he did not have police protection with him," said Prithviraj Chavan.
This shocker comes five years after a similar mafia killed an IIM graduate who blew the whistle on the fuel mafia in Uttar Pradesh. Same promises of protection were made then too.
The challenge now will be to take tough action against the offenders, to assure officers that there will never be another Yashwant Sonawame.
When criminals are supported and petted by politicians, the above is the result.
This incident proves one thing - Bihar does not hold a monopoly on such crimes. While Bihar under Nitish Kumar, is improving, Maharashtra is deteriorating thanks to the imbecile, Raj Thackeray. The government just keeps quiet while he and his followers commit their criminal acts
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