DHARMAPURI: A 46-year-old caste Hindu man was arrested near Pennagaram for allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old Dalit boy and forcing him to carry faeces on Tuesday. He was remanded to the Dharmapuri sub-jail on Tuesday night.
Police said the accused K Rajasekar, of Kodarampatti village near Pennagaram, was produced before a Principal District Judge on Tuesday. He was remanded after testing negative for Covid-19.
According to an FIR, last Wednesday the man spotted the boy defecating on his property. The man allegedly thrashed the boy and forced him to eat the faeces and carry it. The boy carried the excreta and fled from the property. The FIR was filed on Friday based on a complaint from the victim's family at the Pennagaram police station on Wednesday.
Rajasekar was booked under Section 323 of the Indian Penal Code (voluntarily causing hurt) and under Section 3 (j) of the SC/ST Act for “forcing SC persons to do manual scavenging”.