“I didn’t go there to harm anyone,” said 34-year-old Raju Jatav, standing outside the Khair police station. “I just wanted to escape the rain.”
On June 23, the police booked an “unidentified miscreant” for allegedly desecrating a temple in Khair. But today, the man they accused — a Dalit daily wage worker from Aligarh — walked into the police station and said he was the one, and that he was the victim, not the accused.
“I stayed silent for four days,” Raju told reporters. “I was scared of the police. Scared of the men who attacked me. But then someone posted a video of what really happened. That gave me the courage to come forward.”
Raju said he was returning to his village, Sikarwar Mauryanagar, from Bajana along with another labourer. When it began to rain, they took shelter at the Shani Dev Mandir.
“We even offered prayers before stepping under a shade,” he said. “Suddenly, some men — including the priest Jay Kishore — came up and asked me my caste. When I told them I was from a Scheduled Caste, they started beating me.”
In the video now circulating online, Raju is seen being assaulted near the temple premises — not desecrating anything. The footage appears to support his claims and has triggered outrage on social media.
So far, police have not announced any action against the priest or his associates. But Raju’s decision to come forward has reopened the case — and cast fresh light on how caste bias continues to criminalize the most vulnerable.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.