The video of the Dalit man being beaten was widely circulated
Highlights
- Video clip shows Dalit man repeatedly being slapped, begs for mercy
- Men dictate abuses which he is forced to repeat
- Police say incident took place last week, are looking for the accused
A Dalit man was beaten up in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, and then forced to make derogatory statements about his community and Dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar, who was also the father of the Indian constitution. His three assailants who are on the run, also took a video of the assault and circulated it in the area. The incident is the second of its kind this year - in January, another Dalit man was beaten up.
A 30-second video shows the young man being ordered to abuse Dr Ambedkar. His assailants repeatedly slap him and force him to face the camera. They also dictate the abuses which he has to repeat. With folded hands, the man could be seen asking for mercy, but the men on slap him hard in response.
The police, who are looking for the culprits, said the attack took place on July 18 when the man was returning to his village. The man filed a complaint on Monday, after the video clip was widely circulated and the police got in touch with him.
Assuring that the culprits have been identified and will soon be arrested, the police said they are investigating the background of the men and whether they had any prior enmity with their target.
The police have filed a case of causing hurt, kidnapping and other sections of the Indian Penal Code and also under the SC/ST Act, meant to prevent atrocities against the marginalized communities.
In January, a Dalit man was viciously beaten in neighbouring Muzaffarnagar district and asked to chant Jai Shri Ram, after he led a movement to tear posters of Hindu gods from Dalit homes and replace them with posters of Dr Ambedkar.