Six men have been arrested in Tamil Nadu’s Pappanadu area for allegedly attacking a 21-year-old Dalit youth because he owned a costly motorbike.
Police said the victim, N. Pachilin from Vellur, works at a small eatery in Pappanadu. On Monday night, while returning home on his bike, he was stopped by T. Gopinath, a 30-year-old man from Nemmeli. Gopinath allegedly told him that “people from your caste should not be riding such expensive bikes.” Pachilin replied that he had bought the bike with his own money and had every right to use it.
Later that night, Gopinath and five others went to Pachilin’s house. Police said they assaulted him with wooden sticks and their hands, and also shouted caste-based abuses. “They beat me and kept saying I should not ride a bike like that,” Pachilin reportedly told the police. He managed to escape and reached the police station to file a complaint.
The Pappanadu police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Six men, Gopinath, V. Likanthan, A. Sarathi, M. Arunkumar, K. Udhayan, and A. Prahadeeswaran, were arrested on Tuesday.
A police officer said, “The victim is safe and receiving medical attention. We have arrested all six accused and are investigating further.”
