Two Dalit men were assaulted, paraded semi-naked and dragged through an agricultural field with their hands tied by a mob, who accused the duo of snatching a mobile phone in Punjab’s Jharod village on Saturday.
The men were allegedly drug addicts and had attempted to snatch the mobile phone of a migrant labourer, according to police. The villagers, who caught the men, assaulted them after tying them up.
In a purported video that went viral on social media, both men could be seen being dragged by some people while holding their legs upwards.
The mother of one of the men said she did not know what her son had done, but he was brutally thrashed.
If they had done something wrong, they should have been handed over to police, she said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Malout Jaspal Singh said police visited the spot after it came to know about the incident through a video.
One of them had previously been booked in a case involving 200 sedative tablets, police said.
He said their medical examination has been conducted, and they had blunt injury marks.
Appropriate action will be taken based on their medical reports and their statements, police said.
Police further said both the men have been booked for allegedly snatching the mobile phone.
Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission took suo motu notice of the incident and sought a report from the Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police in this regard by June 9. — With inputs from PTI
