A Dalit man tried to set himself on fire in Muzaffarnagar district after he was allegedly beaten and abused with casteist remarks by an influential local resident, a senior police officer said on Sunday.
According to the police, the incident occurred on Saturday in Gangdhadi village in the district's Khatauli tehsil, where the accused, identified as Tinku alias Gaurav, 28, allegedly beat up the Dalit man Himanshu, 25, and hurled casteist abuses at him apparently after he refused to do some work.
Distraught by this humiliation, Himanshu set himself afire in an attempt to die by suicide, the officer said, adding that he sustained burns over more than 30 per cent of his body.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjay Kumar on Sunday told reporters that the police have registered a case against Tinku alias Gaurav under Section 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 108 (abetment of suicide) of the BNS and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and have arrested him.
The SSP also said that the injured, Himanshu -- who has sustained burns over more than 30 per cent of his body -- has been shifted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital in a critical condition.
According to the complaint lodged with the police by Himanshu's family, it is alleged that when he refused to perform the work, Tinku, alias Gaurav, slapped him and made derogatory remarks targeting his caste.
(With inputs from PTI)