This village in Satara district has 1,033 voters, and on Tuesday, every one of them stayed away from the polling booths angry over the way a sub-inspector from Dhom who died in last week’s Naxal attack at Gadchiroli had been treated by the state government.

The district administration had rushed in officials on Monday night to convince the villagers to give up their poll boycott call, but it had no effect. “This is the only way left for us to raise our voices. We do not mind sacrificing our children for the country... but it is unforgivable if they are not treated with respect at the time of their deaths,” said Santosh Pol, one of the villagers.

While Sub-Inspector Chandrashekhar Deshmukh was killed on October 8 in the Naxal attack, his body reached home only on October 10 evening. The officer who had received a letter of appreciation for the way he had performed his duties during the Lok Sabha polls got engaged just three months ago. The villagers ask why no arrangements were made to fly in his body.

The S-I’s father Sanjay Deshmukh said they hoped the boycott would ensure that an incident like this wasn’t ever repeated.

On Tuesday, the sole polling booth at Dhom was deserted. During the last Lok Sabha elections, over 80 per cent had voted in the village. “Deshmukh is the first officer from our village to have died in action. If he is treated with such disrespect, what is the guarantee it will not happen to others?” said Sharad Ubhe, a shopkeeper whose two children are with the BSF.