Maharashtra: For bathing in well, two Dalit teens stripped, beaten
In a horrific incident, two Dalit boys were beaten by upper caste men in Vakadi village of Maharashtra's Jalgaon district for swimming in a well. The boys had jumped into the well to beat the heat, after which villagers pulled them out and assaulted them. Congress President Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the incident and slam the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party.
Men beat boys, they use leaves to cover themselves
The incident reportedly took place on June 10 but gained attention only now, after the video was circulated on social media. In the video, the two teens are seen covering themselves with leaves as men mercilessly beat them. The men used leather belts to thrash the boys. Later the boys' families lodged a police complaint.
We need to raise voice against RSS, BJP, tweets RaGa
After video goes viral, police arrest accused
The police swung to action and arrested Ishwar Joshi and Prahlad Lothar. A case was registered under Prevention of Atrocities Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Joshi and Lothar had made the video, which also had the voice of a man laughing in the background, and shared it on social media. Reportedly, it was Joshi's well where the boys bathed.
Meanwhile, political leaders condemn the incident
Stating such incidents can't be tolerated, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil promised action under SC/ST Act. Social Welfare Minister Ramdas Athawale said the government should take strict action against such atrocities. Congress leaders, on the other hand, said atrocities against Dalits had increased in BJP rule. Gujarat lawmaker Jignesh Mevani tweeted, "Now, Una happens in Maharashtra." He added the nation must be shameful.
Have we hit a new low? Time to ponder
Not long ago, a Dalit ragpicker was flogged to death in Gujarat. In the same state, four men reportedly thrashed a 13-year-old Dalit boy for wearing 'mojdi'. Recently, Dalits began adding 'Sinh' to their names to reclaim their dignity. The gist is that atrocities against Dalits, which is on the rise, hurts humanity deeper than one can imagine. It's high time this stopped.
