A 25-year-old Dalit youth was allegedly abducted, beaten and forced to drink urine by eight men over old animosity in Churu district of Rajasthan, police said on Sunday.
Two accused have been arrested, they said.
According to the police complaint filed by victim Rakesh Meghwal, a resident of Rukhasar village, on January 27, the accused abducted him from his house at around 11 p.m. the previous night and took him to a field in an SUV.
They forced him to drink liquor after which they urinated in the same bottle and forced it down his throat, Mr. Meghwal alleged in his complaint at the Ratangarh police station.
He also alleged that the accused used casteist slurs and other derogatory terms saying the Dalits would be taught a lesson for confronting them as all of them belonged to an ‘influential’ community.
The police said injury marks on Mr. Meghwal’s back confirmed that he had been attacked.
“It is confirmed that he was beaten up and two accused have been arrested in connection with the matter. The allegation that he was forced to drink urine is yet to be established,” investigating officer and Ratangarh circle officer Himanshu Sharma said.
While two of the accused Umesh and Birbal have been arrested, the others Akshay, Rajesh, Rakesh, Tarachand, Bidadichand and Dinesh are absconding, he said.
They have been booked under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 365 (abduction) and 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt, or restraint) of the Indian Penal Code and under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the officer said, adding that the vehicle used in the crime has been recovered.
According to Mr. Meghwal, he was playing a local musical instrument called Chang on Holi during which the accused had passed nasty comments, leading to a confrontation between them for the first time.
