In Bharthana town of Kanpur rural district, 22-year-old youth Sumit Diwakar, a resident of Rani Nagar, alleges that on October 8 three men from the neighbouring Purana Bharthana area. Nandan Gupta, Laddu Gupta and Satyendra Kumar subjected him to severe caste-based harassment.
According to his complaint, the trio hurled caste slurs at him, forced him to squat in the middle of the road, physically assaulted him and threatened to kill him. Simultaneously, the attackers recorded the entire act on video, which later circulated on social media and sparked widespread public outrage.
Local police say they took cognisance of the case only after the video gained traction online, registering it on October 25 under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (SC/ST Act).
Bharthana Police have launched investigations, and are reportedly gathering video evidence, statements of witnesses, recordings of the perpetrators, and attempt to identify those who filmed and shared the video.
Addressing the media, Shrish Chandra, the Superintendent of Police (Rural) in Kanpur, stated that strict action will follow and assured the victim of protection and prompt legal recourse.
The victim’s complaint emphasises that the accused repeatedly used caste-insulting language, ordered him to remain in a humiliating posture on the road while they beat him, and later threatened to end his life if he reported the incident. This act of public humiliation, filming and online circulation emphasises a troubling intersection of caste violence and social media exposure.
As investigations proceed, relevant questions include how long the video was originally shared before police action, whether the filming was meant as intimidation, and whether more persons were involved beyond the three named accused. The case underscores long-standing concerns over caste-based abuse in Uttar Pradesh and urgent need for swift enforcement of the SC/ST Act to deter such crimes and ensure justice for victims.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com.