A Dalit youth and three of his family members were allegedly beaten and subjected to casteist abuse by a group of men in Maharajganj village under the Civil Lines police station area of Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, on Friday night. The attack was triggered by the youth’s use of a mobile phone while standing at a local shop.
According to the victim, Virendra Ahirwar, he had gone to a nearby shop to purchase household items when three men, identified as Bharat Lal Patel, G Lal Patel and another local strongman, began verbally abusing him while he was using his mobile phone. The confrontation quickly escalated into physical violence. The accused allegedly thrashed Virendra with shoes and assaulted him. When his family members rushed to help him, they were also attacked and subjected to casteist slurs by the accused.
Those injured in the assault include Virendra, his father Bhagirath, his mother Habbu Bai and his sister Naina. All four were taken to the district hospital by a police team from the Civil Lines station that reached the spot after being informed about the incident. They are currently undergoing treatment.
Virendra expressed dissatisfaction with the police response, alleging that appropriate legal sections, including those under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, had not been invoked against the accused.
Civil Lines police station in-charge Satish Singh confirmed that an FIR had been registered in the case and that searches were being conducted to arrest the accused. “An FIR has been registered against the accused and the injured have been hospitalised. Searches are being conducted to nab the accused,” Singh said.
