Police in Usilampatti, Madurai, have booked six caste Hindus for allegedly abducting and humiliating a Scheduled Caste teenager by forcing him to prostrate before them. The incident reportedly took place on January 16, but a case was registered only two days later.
According to the complaint, the 17-year-old boy from Sankampatti village was abducted by members of the dominant caste when he returned home for the Pongal holidays. He alleged that the group hurled casteist slurs at him, beat him, and forced him to prostrate before each member present — including a six-year-old child.
“They only let him go after learning that the police had been alerted,” said advocate Deviammal, a relative of the boy. She also claimed the attackers urinated on the teenager before releasing him.
The Neelam Cultural Centre condemned the delay in registering the case and also accused the police of shielding the accused.
“The police registered the FIR only on January 18 even though the boy filed the complaint on January 16. This shows their bias,” the group posted on X.
The FIR names six people and invokes sections 296(b) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
While police confirmed a case has been filed, they denied reports that the accused urinated on the boy. “The case has been registered based on the teenager’s complaint. The claim about urination is not true. Further investigation is underway,” a police statement said.
The boy, who is undergoing treatment at the Usilampatti government hospital, remains traumatised. “He is only 17, not 19 as the police say,” Deviammal added, accusing officials of attempting to weaken the case.
