In yet another chilling instance of caste discrimination and violence, a Dalit driver from Gwalior was allegedly abducted, assaulted, and forced to drink urine by three upper-caste men in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district on Monday night.
The brutality, which left the victim hospitalised, has reignited concerns over entrenched caste violence and the state’s failure to ensure dignity and protection for Dalit workers.
According to the police, the 47-year-old victim, who had recently quit his job as a driver for one of the accused, was abducted from Deendayal Nagar in Gwalior and taken to Surpura village in Bhind. There, he was allegedly beaten, forced to drink liquor, and compelled to consume urine before being dumped on the roadside in a semi-conscious condition.
The victim managed to call his family, who rushed him to Bhind District Hospital for treatment. Police identified the accused as Sonu Barua (22), Alok Pathak (40), and Chhotu Ojha (27), all residents of Bhind district.
“The incident took place on Monday. All three accused were arrested by Monday night and produced before court, which sent them to jail,” said Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Pathak, as quoted by The Times of India.
While police confirmed the arrests, they also said that some allegations, including that the victim was forced to drink urine, are “under verification.”
“Prima facie, the assault appears to have been triggered because the victim refused to drive the accused’s vehicle, but this is part of the investigation,” ASP Pathak said.
A case has been registered under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for assault and abduction, and under relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.