Two 18-year-old Dalit teenagers were bound to a tree and brutally thrashed with lathis by four men belonging to an upper-caste community, for more than 12 hours, accusing them of stealing hens. Videos of the barbaric incident where the hapless teenagers were surrounded by men, and flogged with sticks, was captured by bystanders on their mobiles, and shared on social media. The victims were tied to a tree for several hours, the police said.
The incident took place on Tuesday, 19 January under the Dharmajigudem police limits, in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The duo were identified as Venkateswara Rao and Santhosh, who are presently availing treatment in Chintalapudi government hospital.
They have suffered injuries on their legs, shoulders and back. Their condition is stable, the police said. The victims belong to the Mala community, categorised as Scheduled Caste in the state, while the accused are from the Kapu community.