Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
India

Sangli's 'Robin Hood' Bapu Biru Vategaonkar Dies At 96

IANS, 16 Jan, 2018 11:42 AM
    Bapu Biru Vategaonkar, known for his "Robin Hood" image in the hinterland of Sangli district in western Maharashtra, today passed away following a brief illness.
     
     
    The 96-year-old breathed his last at a hospital in Sangli district, family sources said.
     
    Vategaonkar, who was once a dacoit and accused of killing over 10 persons, was underground for 23 years, before being arrested in 1983. He served time in various jails and was released in 2004.
     
    "I am not repentant of killing more than 10 people in the past as I killed them because they were exploiting the poor and the common people were the victims of their atrocities," Vategaonkar had told this correspondent five years ago.
     
    After his stint in jail, Vategaonkar had transformed into a saintly individual who conducted religious discourses, preached to the people on how to stay away from vices like alcohol and also encouraged them to stand up against injustice.
     
    A resident of Borgaon village in the Valwa taluka, around 35 km from Sangli city, Vategaonkar was living the life of a hermit after serving time in various jails of the state.
     
     
    "A lower-caste girl was murdered by some higher-caste men in our village in 1967. Her family came to me for help. I told them to go to the police, but the police did not take any action against the culprits," Vategaonkar had said, throwing light on how he portrayed the role of "Robin Hood".
     
    A few days later, he took some friends along, killed the main accused in the case and went underground.
     
    "I could not bear to see the injustice the family was facing and decided to kill the person behind the crime," he had said.
     
    A 2007 Marathi film -- "Bapu Biru Vategaonkar" -- was made on his life. Well-known actor Milind Gunaji had played the role of Vategaonkar in it.
     
    Last year, Vategaonkar had undergone a bilateral knee replacement surgery at a hospital near Pune.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Another Dasrath Manjhi: Odisha Man Jalandhar Nayak Carves Mountains To Send Kids To School

    Another Dasrath Manjhi: Odisha Man Jalandhar Nayak Carves Mountains To Send Kids To School
    Eight hours of gruelling work every day for two years, Jalandhar Nayak has been single-handedly moving mountains to construct a 15-kilometre road, connecting his village Gumsahi to the main road in Phulbani town of Kandhamal district.

    Another Dasrath Manjhi: Odisha Man Jalandhar Nayak Carves Mountains To Send Kids To School

    Senior Journalists Accompanying Mamata Banerjee Allegedly Steals Silver Spoons In London, Fined

    Senior Journalists Accompanying Mamata Banerjee Allegedly Steals Silver Spoons In London, Fined
    Some other journalists are believed to have stealthily kept cutlery in their bags during the official dinner at the luxury hotel. But when security staff told them that their act was caught on CCTV cameras, they kept them back on the table, embarrassed

    Senior Journalists Accompanying Mamata Banerjee Allegedly Steals Silver Spoons In London, Fined

    Meet The Artist Who 'NAILS' And Frames His Artworks

    Meet The Artist Who 'NAILS' And Frames His Artworks
    Dusted in muted blues, yellows and pinks, the staccato, precise lines on canvas can be mistaken for wood carving from a distance, but Shekhar Joshi uses neither a chisel nor a brush.

    Meet The Artist Who 'NAILS' And Frames His Artworks

    Does Kendriya Vidyalaya's Morning Prayer Promote Hinduism? Supreme Court To Decide

    Does Kendriya Vidyalaya's Morning Prayer Promote Hinduism? Supreme Court To Decide
    The prayer in Hindi has featured in the morning assembly in more than 1,100 Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country since 1964. It ends with a Sanskrit shloka.

    Does Kendriya Vidyalaya's Morning Prayer Promote Hinduism? Supreme Court To Decide

    SC To Form Fresh SIT To Monitor Probe Into 186 Anti-Sikh Riot Cases

    SC To Form Fresh SIT To Monitor Probe Into 186 Anti-Sikh Riot Cases
      A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra asked the Centre to suggest names on Wednesday itself for its consideration and appointment in the proposed Special Investigation Team (SIT).

    SC To Form Fresh SIT To Monitor Probe Into 186 Anti-Sikh Riot Cases

    Punjab Clears Rs 580 Crore More For Debt Waiver For Farmers

    Punjab Clears Rs 580 Crore More For Debt Waiver For Farmers
    The Punjab government has cleared an amount of Rs 580 crore to give debt waiver to nearly 1.15 lakh debt-ridden farmers in the state.

    Punjab Clears Rs 580 Crore More For Debt Waiver For Farmers