Tamil Nadu: Dalit teenager brutalised, beaten and urinated on, case filed against six people
It is alleged that the accused forced the victim to fall at their feet due to an old rivalry. The victim also alleged that one of the accused urinated on him.
Published on: 20 Jan 2025, 2:03 pm
Tamil Nadu: Madurai Rural district police have registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against six persons for allegedly subjecting a 17-year-old Dalit teenager to caste-based abuse, physical assault and insult. It is alleged that the accused forced the victim to fall at their feet due to an old rivalry. The victim also alleged that one of the accused urinated on him.
The incident took place on January 16. Following a complaint by the victim, a resident of Sangampatti village, the Usilampatti Town police on Saturday registered a case under sections 296(B), 351(2) BNS and 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST Act. These sections include criminal intimidation, obscenity and intentional insult and humiliation of a person belonging to the Scheduled Caste.
Neelam Cultural Centre, an NGO working for Dalit rights, condemned the incident and accused the police of delaying the registration of the case and not arresting the accused till Sunday. The NGO shared the details of the case on social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). The victim, accompanied by members of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and a lawyer, made a formal complaint to the Usilampatti Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) on Saturday. The boy shared his ordeal in a video statement.
Recalling the incident, the victim said, “During a village festival last month, I was harassed and intimidated by a group on the basis of caste. They also made derogatory comments about my family. Out of fear, I fled to Kerala but returned home recently for Pongal. Despite me keeping calm, the accused forcefully took me to an isolated spot in the village.”
He further alleged, “They thrashed me using casteist slurs and forced me to fall at their feet and apologise even though I had done nothing wrong. One of them urinated on me in front of a six-year-old child. They also threatened to kill me. I was seriously injured and had to be hospitalised.”
Madurai District Superintendent of Police (SP) BK Arvind issued a statement on Sunday saying that the investigation into the case is underway and the police have taken prompt action. However, the police dismissed the allegation of urinating on the victim and called it a false claim.
