Odisha: Dalit Men Tortured Over False Accusation of Cow Smuggling; 9 Accused Arrested
New Delhi: Two Dalit men were brutally tortured in Odisha’s Ganjam district over false accusations of cow smuggling. The victims were beaten up, half tonsured, allegedly forced to eat grass and drink drain water, The New Indian Express reported.
The incident happened in broad daylight on Sunday (June 22) at Kharigumma village under Dharakote block. Eight men have been arrested, while a minor has been detained, in connection to the atrocity, according to Dharakote police.
According to the report, the victims, Bulu Nayak (52) and Babul Nayak (43) of Singipur, had purchased a cow and two calves from Haripur for dowry for a family marriage ceremony and were carrying the cattle to their village on a tempo rickshaw when a group of locals intercepted them at Kharigumma.
The group accused them of transporting cows illegally, snatched their mobile phones and cash. They reportedly demanded Rs 30,000 to release the animals.
As the duo refused, the miscreants tied their limbs and brutally assaulted them. They took them to a local salon where their heads were partially shaved, then forced them to crawl for nearly two kilometres to Jahada village where they were allegedly forced to eat grass and consume drain water.
A villager witnessing the incident informed a local leader who reached the spot to release them but demanded Rs 30,000 in return.
The two victims somehow managed to escape from the spot and reached their village.
They received preliminary treatment at a local hospital, and lodged a complaint with Dharakote police. However, the police were reportedly busy with VVIP duty that day, so the FIR was registered late in the night.
Meanwhile, there was growing outrage regarding the incident. The next day, leaders of Dalit Mahasabha in Ganjam reached Singipur to hold a protest meeting and expressed concern over the rise in atrocities against dalits since the BJP came to power in the state.
On Tuesday, Dalit Mahasabha in the district staged a demonstration near the revenue divisional commissioner's office demanding strong action against the accused. They also submitted a memorandum to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The accused have been arrested under various sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Niti Shekhar, DIG southern range, told news agency PTI that the accused will be produced before a court soon.
Odisha Congress forms fact-finding team
Odisha Congress has formed a five-member fact-finding team, led by Rama Chandra Kadam, leader of the Congress legislature party in the state assembly, to investigate the heinous incident.
Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi condemned the incident, saying such incidents were becoming common in BJP-ruled states.
“This incident is a mirror for those who claim that caste is no longer an issue. Every incident that tramples the dignity of Dalits is an attack on Baba Saheb’s Constitution—a conspiracy against equality, justice, and humanity,” he said in a post on X.
“Such incidents are becoming common in BJP-ruled states because their politics is built on hatred and hierarchy. Atrocities against SCs, STs, and women have alarmingly increased, especially in Odisha,” he added, demanding strict punishment for the culprits.
“The country will run by the Constitution, not by Manusmriti,” he said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also voiced concern over the brutal assault and described the incident as an "insult to Baba Saheb's Constitution and its high values of equality, justice and humanity".
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