Police initially hesitated to register a case. However, after the incident’s viral videos and mounting public outrage, they were compelled to take action
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The Chhattisgarh police have arrested five persons for brutally assaulting a Dalit youth in Sakti District.
According to reports received here on Sunday, Rahul Anchal from Dabhara village of the district was allegedly stripped, tied up, and brutally beaten by the family members of a teenage girl. The 21-year-old victim is a member of the Scheduled Caste Satnami community. The assault took place on April 9, and videos of the attack, which quickly went viral on social media, led to police action.
The assault reportedly occurred as Rahul was caught in an intimate position with a 16-year-old girl from the Other Backward Class (OBC) community. This enraged the family members of the girl and according to the police, Rahul was initially stripped, tied with ropes, and beaten with slippers, electric wires, and plastic pipes.
The next day, family members of the girl allegedly stripped once more and publicly assaulted him on the streets of his village.
A viral video of the incident shows Rahul sitting under a tree, and repeatedly being slapped and beaten by an individual. Another video shows him narrating how the girl’s parents had caught him in a room, called others, and subjected him to brutal beating throughout the night. Rahul claimed that he begged mercy and repeatedly pleaded for water, but to no avail.
Some family members and acquaintances took a badly bruised Rahul to a hospital in Raigarh District for treatment. Media reports said human rights activist Degree Prasad Chouhan condemned the inhumane treatment and noted that the police initially hesitated to register a case. However, after the viral videos and mounting public outrage, the police were compelled to take action.
“This is a case of moral policing. It’s a horrific example in Chhattisgarh of a mob deciding right and wrong based on traditional norms and meting out punishment,” said Chouhan. He praised the police for their eventual sensitivity and courage in upholding the law, particularly after campaigns by Dalit rights activists.
Ankita Sharma, Sakti Superintendent of Police, claimed that no formal complaint was lodged by the victim or his family. However, following the viral videos, the police took suo motu cognizance of the case. “We consulted community leaders before registering a First Information Report (FIR),” she was quoted by The Observer Post as saying.
The FIR includes several charges under the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 109(2) (attempt to murder), 296 (obscene acts), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), and 191(2) (rioting). In addition, provisions from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked.
Investigations are ongoing.
