A Dalit woman was thrashed by a man after her cow strayed into his field
A woman from the Dalit community was thrashed after her cow strayed into the field of an upper caste man in Karnataka's Koppal district.
A police case has been filed against the man, Amrish Kumbar, under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which severely punishes ill-treatment to tribes. The man has been arrested, the police said.
A video of the beating has been shared widely on social media.
The woman, Shobhamma Harijan, is seen pleading with the man to stop thrashing her. But he continues to hurl expletives as he hits her.
According to the police complaint, when Ms Harijan saw that her cow had strayed into Mr Kumbar's fields, she quickly went there to bring it home.
But the man stopped her from leaving. He then allegedly thrashed her.
The Koppal district police denied she was tied to a pole and hit with slippers, referring to a photo shared by the Twitter user 'The Dalit Voice'.
"She was not tied to any pillar. She was not hit with chappals. The accused has been arrested and sent to judicial custody," the Koppal police said.