2 dalits beaten up, urinated on in Tamil Nadu
Nov 28, 2023, 10:48 IST
COIMBATORE : Two dalit youths were beaten up by a group of gounders who then urinated into their mouths when they asked for water at Vengamedu near Gobichettipalayam in Erode district on November 20 and 21, according to a police complaint lodged by one of the dalit youths on November 23. Police have, however, booked both the youths for theft of chicken and named just two men in the FIR on the assault.
In the complaint, M Naveenkumar, 17, one of the victims, said he and his friend Kirubakaran, 24, both from Polavakalipalayam, were drinking liquor at an isolated place by the road in Vengamedu on November 20 night when four gounders came to the place and assaulted them and took away their motorcycle. The two youths spent the night under a nearby water tank as they had no way of going home.
When they woke up, Naveenkumar saw one of his attackers and asked him to return his bike, according to the complaint. Instead, the attacker came back with six more men and assaulted Naveenkumar and Kirubakaran with iron rods, the complaint added.They were joined by 10 more people including Kadukkampalayam panchayat president’s husband Kannusamy in assaulting the two youths.
“When we asked them to provide water, they urinated into our mouths. They abused us using our caste names,” Naveenkumar said in his complaint.
Based on his complaint, police registered a case against 20 people under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015. But they have named only Kannusamy and one other person in the FIR.
When contacted, senior police officers said the two dalit youths were rounded up by villagers for trying to steal chickens from a farm. Police registered an FIR against them for attempting to steal the chickens.
Erode collector Raja Gopal Sunkara said people were booked for thrashing the two, who were allegedly involved in stealing chickens. So, police registered two separate FIRs, he added. Members of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes are likely to visit the village on Wednesday.
Samooga Needhi Makkal Katchi founder-president Vadivelraman announced a protest in Erode on Tuesday to demand the arrest of the gounders.
