A 23-year-old Dalit man succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, 5 May, days after he was allegedly beaten up by some people of privileged caste, for eating in front of them at a wedding reception in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district.
The man, identified as Jeetendra Das, was thrashed by the upper-caste men who lost their temper as they found him eating in front of them "despite being from a lower caste", DSP Uttam Singh Jimwal was quoted by PTI as saying.
DG Law and Order told ANI that three out of seven people have been arrested and a case has been registered under SC/ST Act.
The incident took place on 26 April at a wedding reception in Shrikot village of the district, he said.
The sole bread-earner of his family, Jeetendra was critically injured and died at a hospital in Dehradun after nine days of treatment, the DSP said.
‘He Was Hit on His Head and Private Body Parts’
Jitendra’s uncle Elam Das told Hindustan Times that the family learnt about the incident only the morning after, when Jitendra’s mother found him unconscious.
According to one of the Jitendra’s friends, who also reportedly tried to save him, he was assaulted not just at the wedding venue but also later when the accused followed him back to his home.
“Seeing him sitting on a chair, they got enraged and kicked his plate before kicking him off the chair using caste-based expletives for daring to sit in front of them,”Jitendra’s friend, as quoted by Hindustan Times
Jitendra’s cousin brother, Pritam Das, claimed that he was hit on his head and private body parts.
What Has the Police Done Till Now?
On the basis of a police complaint filed by Jitendra's sister, a case was registered against seven persons – Gajendra Singh, Soban Singh, Kushal Singh, Gabbar Singh, Gambhir Singh, Harbir Singh and Hukum Singh – under the SC/ST Act, the DSP said. However, no arrests have been made as of yet.
He added that further action will be taken after the post-mortem report arrives.
Circle Officer Uttam Singh, who is probing the incident, said that murder charges will also be brought against the accused.
“During the investigations, we tried to find any eyewitness but none came forward. The sole eye-witness seems to be the deceased himself.Uttam Singh, Circle Officer, Narendra Nagar to Hindustan Times
(With inputs from Hindustan Times.)
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