Youth chased and attacked with sickle by two men in broad daylight in Alandi

A young man was set upon by two men with a sickle in the middle of a crowded part of Alandi, the pilgrim town near Pune, on the morning of November 13. The attack took place at about 10.30 am within the limits of the Alandi Municipal Council and left residents, shopkeepers, devotees and passers-by badly shaken.

According to the accounts available so far, the area was full of people when the two assailants went after the youth. He ran through the busy locality in panic, trying to save his life. The men caught up with him and struck him repeatedly with the sickle. The assailants are said to have carried sharp sickles and other dangerous weapons. All of this happened in full view of onlookers, and chaos broke out around the spot.

A video of the incident has since surfaced. It shows two young men chasing the youth along the road and then attacking him. The footage has spread on social media and is being widely discussed, drawing attention to violence in open daylight in a town that is generally regarded as calm.

The motive is not yet known. Police are looking into whether an old enmity or some other reason lay behind the assault, but nothing has been established. The two attackers have been described as unidentified, and their names have not come to light.

Alandi police reached the spot soon after receiving word of the incident and are investigating the case.

The attack, at a busy hour and in the presence of so many people, has caused fear and alarm in the town. Alandi is a pilgrim centre where large numbers of people come and go every day, and residents say two men running after a youth with sharp weapons and striking him in the open has shocked them. People in the area remain fearful after the incident, and it has once again raised serious questions about law and order in the town.