In Goh village of Punjab’s Khanna, four Dalit women were reportedly beaten with sticks by a landlord while they were gathering fodder.
The women, residents of Manupur village in Samrala, were assaulted when they crossed over to the neighbouring Goh village for fodder. They allege that the accused not only attacked them but also tore their clothes, exacerbating the situation.
Following the assault, members of the Dalit community staged a protest outside Gurudwara Shri Ramdasia in Samrala, expressing their discontent and demanding justice. The police intervened to calm the protesters and filed an FIR against the accused, identified as Wasakha Singh from Goh village. Singh has been arrested.
According to the complainants, the accused, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, hurled casteist slurs at them before assaulting them with sticks. The victims managed to escape and informed their families, leading to the gathering of villagers outside the gurdwara in protest.
Dalit leaders Avtar Singh Manupur and Captain Harjinder Singh condemned the incident and called for stringent action against the perpetrator.
Khanna Senior Superintendent of Police, Amneet Kondal, assured action, stating that an FIR had been filed. She said that neither the victims nor their families had any prior conflict with the accused, and the land where the incident occurred did not belong to him.
The accused, Wasakha Singh, faces charges under sections 323 and 354 of the Indian Penal Code, as well as section 3 of the SC/ST Act. The community has vowed to intensify protests if justice is delayed.
