Dalit Teen Allegedly Beaten To Death In Uttarakhand Over Friendship With Upper-Caste Girl (Image: AI Generated)

A shocking case of alleged caste-based violence has emerged from Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district, where an 18-year-old Dalit youth was reportedly beaten to death after being accused of maintaining a friendship with a girl from an upper-caste community.

The victim, identified as Ketan Lal, was allegedly assaulted on Sunday night in Kholgarh village.

According to police, Ketan had been friends with the girl for nearly six months.

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Reports indicate that Ketan received a phone call from the girl around 11 pm and went to meet her along with his friend, Diwakar Dimri.

Police said that upon reaching the village, the two youths were allegedly confined in a room and brutally beaten with sticks by members of the girl’s family.

The following morning, Ketan’s father, Dhanpal Lal, reportedly received a call from the girl’s father asking him to come and take his son home. When he arrived at the location, he found Ketan severely injured and covered in blood.

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Ketan was immediately rushed to a hospital, but doctors were unable to save him. His friend Diwakar, who was also injured in the assault, is currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital in Baurari.

Tehri Garhwal Senior Superintendent of Police Shweta Choubey confirmed that a case has been registered under charges of murder as well as Section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Police have detained one accused, identified as Yashveer Singh Panwar, for questioning, while further investigation is underway.

The tragedy has once again brought attention to caste-related violence and discrimination that continue to surface across different parts of the country.

(With inputs from agencies)