A 20-year-old Dalit BSc student in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district allegedly died by suicide a day after he was accused of harassing a girl at a local library and allegedly assaulted and humiliated by a group of men after they learned about his caste.
The deceased, identified as Atin Kumar, was a resident of Nagla Bilautia village under the Shikohabad police station area. He was found dead in his room on Sunday.
Police said a one-page suicide note recovered from Atin’s room mentioned harassment and assault at the library. Villagers also claimed injury marks were visible on his body, and one of his fingers appeared fractured.
According to the complaint filed by Atin’s father, Ajay Kumar, the student regularly visited the RM Library after attending college. On Saturday evening, some people at the library allegedly accused him of harassing a girl.
The family alleged that during the confrontation, Atin was questioned about his caste and assaulted after revealing he belonged to the Dalit community.
“My son suffered injuries in the assault and came back home humiliated. He did not share the ordeal with the family and was found dead on Sunday,” Ajay Kumar said in his complaint to the police.
Atin was the only son of his parents, both of whom are specially abled. Due to the family’s financial struggles, he reportedly also ran a small grocery shop to support the household alongside his studies.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.