A suspected case of caste-based violence has emerged in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district after an 18-year-old Dalit student allegedly died following an assault linked to his friendship with a minor girl from an upper-caste family.
The victim, identified as Ketan Lal, was allegedly attacked along with his friend, Diwakar Dimri, in the Lambgaon area of Pratapnagar block. Police said the incident took place on the night of June 8.
Ketan later succumbed to his injuries, while Diwakar remains under treatment with serious injuries.
Family Alleges Night-Long Assault
According to the complaint filed by Ketan’s father, Dhanpal Lal, the accused called his son and friend to the girl’s house late at night before allegedly locking them in a room and assaulting them for hours.
Dhanpal claimed he received a phone call on Monday morning from a man identified as Yashbir Singh Panwar, the girl’s father.
“The caller told me that he and his family had beaten my son and his friend badly and that they would throw him into a stream,” Dhanpal alleged in the FIR.
The father said he rushed to the location and found both boys critically injured. Ketan was taken to a hospital but died on the way.
Allegations of Torture and Caste Abuse
The family has made serious allegations of torture during the assault. Dhanpal claimed that iron nails were hammered into his son’s legs and that casteist slurs were used against him.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full storyhere.