While progressive India believes the country would have moved past caste politics and violence, that is far from reality. A lower caste, a Dalit man in Vijayapura was brutally beaten up by a group of men on Sunday after he touched the bike of an upper-caste Hindu man.
A video of the violence has been circulating on social media. This violent incident has led to an FIR being filed against 13 men.
Dalit man assaulted in public
Caste violence in India continues. Despite the media reporting certain cases, there are certain stories that go unheard or are deemed as part of a large pool. Sometimes even rendered not newsworthy. In a strange incident on Sunday, a Dalit man was beaten up in public by a group of men for 'touching' an Upper caste Hindu's bike, in Vijayapura.
The incident took place in Bengaluru's neighbouring district, for his crime the man was dragged on the street and stripped while being repeatedly beaten as the video shows. The Dalit man, however, arrived at the Talikoti police station to file an FIR against the mob, who were angered by the action.
No arrests were in the case against the 13 men accused under the SC/ST Act, and various sections of IPC- 143, 147, 324, 354, 504, 506, and 149. The father and son residents of Talikoti were on their way to work on 18th July morning as per the complaint filed by Hosannappa Thalavara, the 58-year-old working on farmland. That's when some people came to beat up the son who had while walking touched the vehicle, yelling slurs and beating him up they didn't stop even when the father begged, he told the police.
According to his complaint, they beat up the father too and his family, threatening to kill them with weapons. This incident was then brought under control by the police official who arrived on the spot owing to the violence. The 28-year-old son was admitted to a government hospital.
The police said on the other hand, that the Dalit man was also previously accused of misbehaving with women, Mirror Now reported. Netizens are asking if justice will be delivered.
Further details and how the case will unfold are awaited.
