Dalit assaulted. Just another day in India

Tortured with burning sticks for entering temple

NT Correspondent

Uttarakhand: A Dalit man has been allegedly assaulted by a group of people with burning sticks when he entered a temple to offer prayers at Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, police officials said.

According to the police, the incident took place on January 9 when the man, identified as 22-year-old Ayush, went to offer prayers at the temple in Salra village in the district’s Mori area. The victim’s complaint to the police said that some people belonging to the ‘upper caste’ tied him up and assaulted him with burning sticks throughout the night.

Ayush was rushed to the primary health centre on January 10 from where he was referred to another health facility for better treatment, officials said. In his complaint, as per the report, Ayush said the attackers were angry because he entered the temple despite being a Dalit.

Based on his complaint, a case under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and sections related to rioting, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code was registered by the police against the accused. They have been identified as Ashish, Ishwar Singh, Bhagyan Singh, Jaiveer Singh and Chain Singh.