A crowd of locals was seen cheering and recording videos
A Dalit man was assaulted, his face blackened and his head shaved after being accused of stealing a toilet seat in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich.
Local BJP leader Radheshyam Mishra and two of his aides allegedly tied Rajesh Kumar to a pole, blackened his face and thrashed him on Tuesday, officials said. They accused him of stealing a toilet seat from a house in Hardi area of the district.
Visuals of a mob assaulting 30-year-old daily wage earner Rajesh Kumar, blackening his face and shaving his head down the middle have gone viral.
Mishra is on the run, but his two aides have been arrested, police said.
In the visuals which capture the assault on Mr Kumar, a crowd can be seen cheering on and recording videos as his head is shaved and face blackened.
Mr Kumar alleged that the local BJP leader and his supporters also made casteist remarks.
A senior police official told NDTV that a case has been registered against the accused under charges of assault, criminal intimidating and under provisions of the stringent law to punish crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
"Two people have been arrested and the search is on for the third accused. If they suspected him of theft, they should have come to police," the officer said.