4 Dalits Tortured, Hung Upside Down In Maharashtra Over Alleged Theft

Ahamednagar police in Maharashtra have said they have arrested one person in relation with a viral video in which four Dalit men were hanged upside down from a tree and beaten up by six people. The Dalit men were tortured on the allegation that they had stolen a goat and some pigeons from Haregaon village in Shrirampur taluka of Maharashtra.

The police also said that five people connected with the incident are absconding.

On August 25, a group of six men from the village went to the homes of four Dalit men in their 20s and forced them to come with them, an official said.

The men were hanged upside down from a tree and beaten with sticks, allegedly over the suspicion that they had stolen a goat and some pigeons. The accused have been identified as Yuvraj Galande, Manoj Bodake, Pappu Parkhe, Deepak Gaikwad, Durgesh Vaidya, and Raju Borage, the official said.

According to the official, the video was allegedly shot by one of the accused and later circulated online.

A case has been registered under Section 307 (attempt to murder), Section 364 (kidnapping), and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the official said.

Maharashtra Congress alleged that such incidents are a result of hate being spread by ruling BJP for its political gain.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said the incident was a blot on humanity, and demanded that all the accused be arrested immediately and given strict punishment, reported Press Trust of India.