Police in Rajasthan’s Balotra district have registered an FIR against a man accused of assaulting and abusing a Dalit youth with casteist slurs after he allegedly drank water from a public earthen pot outside a grocery shop.
The case was registered at Gida Police Station following directions from an SC/ST court after the complainant alleged that police had failed to act on his earlier complaints.
Victim alleges assault after drinking water
According to the FIR, the incident took place on June 11 at around 7 pm near a bus stand in Khokhsar village under the Gida police station area.
The complainant alleged that he was waiting for a bus to Chaba when, due to the heat, he drank water from a public earthen pot kept outside the grocery shop of the accused, identified as Rajuram Nai.
He claimed the accused became angry, allegedly abused him using caste-based slurs and demanded money for drinking the water.
When the complainant said he had no money, the accused allegedly slapped and punched him. The assault stopped only after local residents intervened, according to the complaint.
The complainant further alleged that the accused later threatened to break his arms and legs and kill him if he pursued any action.
Police registered case after court order
The complainant said he reported the incident at Gida Police Station the following day and later sent a written complaint to the Balotra Superintendent of Police. However, alleging that no action was taken, he approached the SC/ST court.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.