VELLORE: Three persons were arrested and remanded on Saturday for allegedly assaulting two SC men in Vellore district.
The incident happened on November 14 when Diwakar (26), son of Thulasiraman from Kaniyambadi, was verbally abused by two men when he accelerated his two-wheeler while halting briefly near Sathumadurai railway gate. The men who were behind his bike verbally abused him and then overtook him.
Diwakar followed them and sought an explanation for the verbal abuse. An argument broke out, and the two men, accompanied by two other friends, assaulted Diwakar causing head injuries. Diwakar's neighbour Saravanan, who saw the fight, tried to intervene. However, he was also attacked with beer bottles and stones. Saravanan's shirt got damaged in the assault, revealing an Ambedkar tattoo on his chest. On seeing it, the accused realised that Saravanan belonged to the SC community, and seriously assaulted him and Diwakar.
When Saravanan lost consciousness, the four assailants fled the scene. People in the vicinity rushed both the victims to Vellore Government Medical College and Hospital. The victims later filed a complaint against the four individuals at Vellore taluk police station in Kaniyambadi. An FIR was filed under Sections 294b, 324, and 506 (2) of the IPC.
Saravanan, who received 13 stitches on the head, said, "They assaulted me severely after noticing the tattoo on my chest. They also hurled casteist slur at us and said assaulting people like me was justified. I find it difficult to walk now, and Diwakar received seven stitches."
VCK cadre staged a protest on Tuesday when police initially did not register an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Subsequently, an FIR under IPC Section 294b, 324, 506 (2), 3 (1)(r), 3 (1)(s), and 3 (2)(va) of the SC/ST Act was registered against four Akash, Vijay, Sathishkumar, and Tamizhselvan.While three of them were arrested and remanded on Wednesday, a search is on to nab Tamizhselvan.