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Just a day after a 50-year-old tribal man lost his life while sitting on a hunger strike outside the collector’s office in Beed district demanding land rights to build a ‘pucca’ house, the state government has said that a committee would be formed to investigate the matter. Two days prior to his death, in a letter, his wife had cautioned the authority about his deteriorating health condition while on hunger strike..

Appasaheb Pawar, who belongs to ‘Pardhi community’ was fighting for land rights in the district to build a ‘pucca’ house for over a decade and died on Sunday reported The Indian Express.

Member of Parliament (MP) from Baramati representing the NCP, Supriya Sule, tweeted, “It is a matter of great outrage that a poor person who demands a rightful house has to lose his life at the door of the government. I humbly request Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to please conduct a high-level inquiry into the matter and take strict action against the persons in the administration responsible for his death.”

Soon after, the collector issued a letter stating that the procurement of land would be initiated with the help of NGOs, Zilla Parishad, Rotary and Lions club. “A committee will be formed under the deputy commissioner into the death,” reads the letter.

For over 30 years, Pawar and his family has been staying in a makeshift hut in a remote place. Later, the gram panchayat issued the necessary documents to qualify to apply for a house under the Sabari Adivasi Gharkul Yojana. “He even received the first instalment to build a concrete house under the scheme. He also got cement and sands from the money but as soon as he started the construction, the locals started protesting. They claimed that the land belonged to someone else and made him stop the work,” said Ashok Laxman Langade of Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch.

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