JAIPUR: In a horrific incident in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district, a Dalit youth was brutally beaten with belt and wires before being stripped ad petrol poured into his rectum with the help of screwdrivers by seven assaulters, last Sunday. The gruesome act, however, forced police to rush and file a case but only after a video made by the assaulters went viral on Wednesday. Seven people have been arrested in the case on the complaint of the Dalit youth in the presence of Deputy Superintendent of Police of Nagaur.
Police identified the young victim as a resident of Karanu village under Panchauri police station area in the district. Those booked in the case are Bhim Singh, Aidan Singh, Asu Singh, Sawai Singh, Laxman Singh, Hanuman Singh and Ganpatram. As per the complaint, the accused thrashed the youth and pushed a cloth soaked in petrol into his rectum with the help of a screwdriver, severely injuring him.
The victim’s cousin, who was with him, was also beaten up. When the victim’s condition deteriorated, neighbours intervened and rushed him to a nearby hospital. The victim said in the complaint that on February 16, he went to Karanu village to get his bike serviced along with his cousin where the accused charged him with stealing at the counter. When he denied it, they started assaulting him. Nagaur Superintendent of Police Vikas Pathak said he immediately formed several police teams to identify the assaulters through the video and they were arrested.
The incident, however, has blown into a political storm, with three MLAs of RLP boycotting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s Budget Speech in the Rajasthan Assembly on Wednesday even as the BJP joined the protest. Amit Malviya, national in-charge of the BJP IT cell tweeted: “State government? The Chief Minister is also the Home Minister and his name is Ashok Gehlot. Just in case you didn’t know who is responsible for the brutality against Dalits in the state. Ever since Congress formed govt in Rajasthan, crime against Dalits and women has shot up.” An anguished former Congress president Rahul Gandhi expressed his despair. “The recent video of two young Dalit men being brutally tortured in Nagaur, Rajasthan is horrific & sickening. I urge the state Government to take immediate action to bring the perpetrators of this shocking crime to justice,” he tweeted
CM gehlot promises tough action
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has assured of tough action against the culprits. He tweeted: “In the horrific incident in Nagaur, immediate and effective action has been taken and seven accused have been arrested so far. Nobody will be spared. The culprits will be punished according to the law and we will ensure that the victims get justice.”