Dalit man assaulted, head tonsured over money dispute in UP’s Bareilly

Police said three men who allegedly carried out the assault, including a former village pradhan and his son, have been arrested

January 19, 2026

A 40-year-old Dalit man was allegedly assaulted by three people, who also tonsured his head and cut his moustache and eyebrows, following a dispute over money in Bareilly, police said.

Police said they arrested the trio, including a former village pradhan and his son. The accused are also charged with allegedly hurling casteist slurs at the victim during the assault.

Police said the incident came to light after a video of the act went viral on social media. While the video is about a month old, the matter surfaced only recently, they said.

On Sunday, the victim, Pappu Diwakar, approached the Nawabganj police station and lodged a complaint against the three accused — the former village pradhan, his son, and their associate.

Police said a case was lodged under BNS sections 316 (criminal breach of trust), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 115 (voluntarily causing hurt). Police have also invoked charges under the SC/ST Act against the accused.

“Former pradhan Chandrasen Gangwar (62), his son Pappu (42), and their associate Godhan Lal (48) were booked in the case and arrested,” said Senior Sub-Inspector, Nawabganj police station, Rajesh Kumar.

According to police, Diwakar said he had been living at Chandrasen’s house for the past few months. Police said the victim alleged that Chandrasen had borrowed Rs 4.5 lakh from him to purchase a tractor.

The victim claimed that when he asked Chandrasen to return the money, the latter, along with his son and an associate, attacked and assaulted him. He further alleged that the accused hurled casteist remarks at him in the presence of villagers.

Diwakar also told the police that the accused allegedly forcibly shaved his head, cut his moustache and eyebrows with scissors, and smeared mud on his face to publicly humiliate and disgrace him.