Dalit man assaulted, made to lick shoes in Sonbhadra; accused held

VARANASI A contractual lineman of the electricity department has been arrested for allegedly beating up a Dalit man and forcing him to lick his shoes, in a village in the Shahganj area of district Sonbhadra, police said on Sunday.

The action was taken after a video purportedly of the incident had gone viral on social media, they said, adding that the accused has been “terminated from the service”.

Police said that the Dalit man, Rajendra Chamar, a resident of Bahuar village of Robertsganj police station area, was visiting his maternal uncle’s house in Baldih village of Shahganj police station. On July 6, the electricity supply was disrupted at the house. While he was trying to locate the fault, Tejbali Singh Patel, a contractual lineman of the electricity department, arrived and began beating him and yelling obscenities and casteist slurs at him.

In his complaint submitted to police on July 8, Rajendra Chamar said he belongs to the Scheduled Castes (SC) category.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered against Patel under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and under section 323 (Voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code at Shahganj police station, circle officer Amit Kumar said, adding that the accused has been arrested and further investigation is on into the matter.

Two videos of this incident went viral on social media. Some people tweeted both viral videos to the police department. In the video, the accused is also seen twisting one arm of the complainant, pushing him onto the ground, climbing up on his chest and slapping him. He is also seen making the complainant lick his footwear.

In a tweet on Saturday night, the Uttar Pradesh Police said, “DGP UP has taken cognizance of the incident and directed the DIG range to visit the scene of the crime. An FIR has been registered under the SC/ST Act, and the accused has been promptly arrested. The DGP has given directions for the strictest legal action against the accused.”

On Sunday, the state police wrote on Twitter: “Update – Due to the swift action taken by @sonbhadrapolice, Tejbali Singh Patel, the arrested accused, has been terminated from service by the electricity department.”