Ahmednagar: Three members of a Dalit family in Jawkhede Khalsa village here were cruelly killed, one of them decapitated before being thrown into a dry well, police said today.

The brutal murders took place on the night of October 20 at Patherdi, 69 kms from here, and the mutilated bodies of Sanjay Jadhav (49), his wife Jayashree (46) and their son Sunil (22) were found dumped in a village well the next morning (October 21), DSP Lakhmi Gautam said.

However, when the head and limbs of Sunil were found missing, locals and relatives of the family raised a hue and cry and stalled their last rites by staging road blockades and protests alleging lack of strong action against the unknown killers, suspected to be from the upper caste, besides demanding protection to Dalit families in the village and transfer of the case to the State CID, police said.

Last evening, when the severed body parts of Sunil were traced to a bore well, the victims were cremated, District Collector Anil Kawade said.

The incident has sent shock waves in the village. Earlier, Dalit organisations demanded early arrest of those involved in the murder. They also blocked the Jawkhed road for three hours until SDOP Jyoti Kaware, DSP Gautam convinced the protesters, villagers and family members to withdraw their agitation, assuring adequate protection before the funeral was conducted.

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