According to the police, 27-year-old Dinesh Kumar was beaten up by the village head of Tajpur and his associate, the former village head of Reta Nagla village, with shoes. They also threatened to kill him.
A videograb of the incident. Photo: Twitter
The Wire Staff 22/AUG/2022New Delhi: Two people were booked in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar for allegedly beating a man who is from a Dalit community with shoes after the video of the incident went viral on the internet, police said on August 20.
According to the police, 27-year-old Dinesh Kumar was beaten up by the village head of Tajpur, Shakti Mohan Gurjar, and Gaje Singh, the former village head of the Reta Nagla village, with shoes. They also threatened to kill him.
Superintendent of police (city), Arpit Vijayvargiya, told reporters both persons have been booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
The village head Shakti Mohan has been arrested by the police and a search is on for the second accused, he said.
Bhim Army workers along with the members of the Dalit community staged a sit-in outside the Chhapar police station to protest against the incident, demanding strict action against the accused. Police have tightened security in the area.
Also read: Dalit Villagers Wanted to Present a Coin to the President. The State Stopped Them.
Muzaffarnagar, which falls under Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur division, has a sizable Dalit population. It has seen a rise in caste-related incidents of late.
Earlier this month, a 30-year-old woman was sexually harassed and forced to remove her clothes at gunpoint in Muzaffarnagar while the act was recorded on camera, PTI had reported, citing police.
According to a police complaint by the victim, she had gone to a field to cut grass where the accused sexually harassed her and made a video after forcing her to take off her clothes at gunpoint.
All seven accused were arrested, the report added.
(With PTI inputs)