Chhattisgarh: Dalit youth brutally beaten up, hair cut and stripped naked, body covered with curtain sari, case registered
The victim, Rahul Anchal, belongs to the Scheduled Caste Satnami community. He had gone to meet a 16-year-old girl, who belongs to the Other Backward Class (OBC), when he was caught by the girl’s family.
Published on: 12 Apr 2025, 10:49 am
Sakti (Chhattisgarh): In Sakti district, a 21-year-old Dalit youth was allegedly stripped and brutally beaten by the family members of a teenage girl. During the assault, the youth kept crying for water, the victim kept asking people for water but no one even gave him water to drink. The incident is said to have taken place on April 9. After the video of the incident went viral on social media, the police swung into action and registered a case.
The victim has been identified as Rahul Anchal, a resident of Dabhra and belongs to the Scheduled Caste Satnami community. It is being told that Rahul had gone to meet a 16-year-old girl, who belongs to Other Backward Class (OBC), when he was caught by the girl’s family members.
According to police officials, Rahul was stripped, tied with ropes and brutally beaten with slippers, electric wires and plastic pipes. The next day, on April 9, he was allegedly stripped again and beaten publicly on the streets of the village.
In a viral video, Rahul can be seen sitting under a tree where a man repeatedly slaps and beats him. In another video, the victim said that he was caught in a room by the girl’s parents, who then called others and beat him throughout the night.
Police confirmed that Rahul has been admitted to a hospital in neighbouring Raigad district for treatment.
Human rights activist Degree Prasad Chauhan told The Mooknayak that the youth has been treated inhumanly. At first the police was reluctant to register a case but due to the growing anger of the society and the pressure of the viral video, the case has been registered.
This is a case of moral policing. This is a horrific example in Chhattisgarh where a mob decides what is right and what is wrong on the basis of traditional beliefs and punishes someone. After a social media campaign by Dalit rights activists and widespread outrage over the incident, the police acted promptly and showed the courage to be sensitive towards the law.
Degree Prasad Chauhan, human rights activist
Ankita Sharma, superintendent of police, Sakti, said, “Initially, no formal complaint was lodged by the victim or her family. However, the police took suo motu cognizance after the video went viral. We consulted community leaders and later lodged an FIR.”
The case has been registered under the following sections of the Indian Penal Code. These include, Section 109(2): attempt to murder, Section 296: obscene act, Section 351(2): criminal intimidation, Section 115(2): voluntarily causing hurt, Section 126(2): wrongful restraint, Section 191(2): rioting.
Additionally, sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked. So far, five people have been detained, and further investigation is underway.
