RAMANATHAPURAM: Five days after a group of caste Hindu youth allegedly assaulted and urinated on a Scheduled Caste (SC) man, Thiuvadanai police on Friday booked 11 persons, including three minors, under the SC/ST Act in connection with the crime. A countercase has also been filed over the incident.
Police sources said the SC man, Jeeva (33) of Neivayal, and his friend Suresh (23) went to Seerthangi village on February 19 to speak with a 17-year-old caste Hindu boy, who had allegedly entered into an argument with one of Jeeva’s relatives in an inebriated state. “However, the minor boy and a few others assaulted the duo and chased them away from the village,” they said.
The same evening, the 17-year-old boy along with Madhavan (21), Ramki (21), Santhosh (19), Josh (22), Dinagar (20), Deva (20), Murugesan (49) and Arumugam (49), allegedly abducted Jeeva from a provisional shop in Neivayal village. “They took him to an isolated place near Seerthangi Mariyammann temple, before attacking the SC man with slippers and hands. They hurled caste slurs at him and even urinated on him. Jeeva was later rescued from the spot and admitted to a government hospital,” police added.
Based on the victim’s complaint, Thiruvadanai police booked eight men and three minors under relevant sections of the IPC and the SC/ST Act. No arrest has been made in the case so far. Meanwhile, the 17-year-old suspect in the case has filed a countercase against Jeeva, Suresh, Dhinesh, Rajini (45), Sadheesh (23) and 10 others.
“On February 19, the minor and his relative Latha (42) were sitting in their house in Sirugai village, when the suspects reached the house and attacked the 17-year-old boy with wooden logs,” the complaint read.