A Dalit man who tried to enter a temple with his family in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur district was axed and burnt alive on Wednesday.
The man, said to be 90 years of age, was stopped at the entrance of the Maidani Baba temple by a man, but when he persisted, he was attacked with an axe, doused with kerosene and set on fire in front of other worshippers, Hindustan Times reported.
The incident occurred in Bilgaon village in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday evening.
The 90-year-old, identified as Chimma, was visiting the temple with his wife, son and brother, and was accosted by a man named Sanjay Tiwari, who was allegedly drunk.
Tiwari warned the Dalit family against entering the temple and then attacked the 90-year-old with an axe till the latter fell down unconscious and then burnt him alive, as per reports.
According to the Navbharat Times, no one stepped forward to help the Dalit family even as they screamed for help.
Some youths from the village later nabbed the man and handed him to the police.
The police has filed an FIR against Tiwari and two other people, who are said to be on the run.
Several gory crimes have been reported against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier this year, five Dalit women were stripped and paraded naked in Hareva village in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district after a Dalit boy eloped with a girl from another caste.
In July, a khap panchayat in UP's Baghpat district had issued an order to rape a Dalit woman as punishment after her brother eloped with a married woman from the Jat community.
