DEHRADUN: The death of an 18-year-old Dalit youth in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district has triggered protests, with his family alleging that he was brutally tortured and beaten over his friendship with a minor girl from an upper-caste community.
The victim, identified as Ketan Lal, was a resident of Deval village in Pratapnagar block.
According to police, Ketan and his friend, Diwakar Dimri, had gone to Kholgarh village on Sunday night, where they were allegedly attacked by members of the girl’s family.
Diwakar survived and is undergoing treatment, while Ketan later succumbed to his injuries.
Police said Ketan had reportedly been in contact with the minor girl for the past six months. Around 11 pm on Sunday, the girl allegedly called him and asked him to come to her village. Ketan then left for Kholgarh along with Diwakar.
After the two reached the village, members of the girl’s family allegedly locked them inside a room and assaulted them with sticks, police said.
The next morning, the girl’s father allegedly informed Ketan’s father, Dhanpal Lal, about his son’s condition and asked him to take him back.
Dhanpal claimed that when he reached the village, he found Ketan badly injured and covered in blood. The teenager was rushed to a community health centre in Chaund Lambgaon, but doctors could not save him.
The death sparked anger across the area, with villagers and family members refusing to immediately accept Ketan’s body and demanding the arrest of all those involved in the assault.
“I will not take the body from here until all the culprits are arrested, even if it takes four days or ten days,” Dhanpal Lal said.
“I am a poor man. I do not have the resources to run around courts for years. I want justice delivered right here. Only then will I take my son’s body,” he added.
Speaking to TNIE, Tehri Garhwal Senior Superintendent of Police Shweta Choubey said two primary suspects — the girl’s father, Yashveer Singh, and her grandfather, Vidya Singh — have been arrested.
She said police teams and forensic experts have inspected the crime scene and that an intensive investigation is underway to ensure that no accused escapes punishment.
The family alleged that Ketan was targeted because he belonged to a Dalit family and was friendly with a girl from an upper-caste community. The incident has raised concerns over caste-based violence and social tensions in the region, with locals demanding a fair and time-bound probe.
