Dalit Man Beaten Up in Muzaffarnagar for Objecting to Village Head's Husband

A video of a Dalit man in Muzaffarnagar being dragged with a noose around his neck and beaten up went viral on social media on Monday, 21 February, prompting the state police to take swift action against the accused.

(Photo: The Quint)

A video of a Dalit man in Muzaffarnagar being dragged with a noose around his neck and beaten up went viral on social media on Monday, 21 February, after a tiff between the man and the village head's husband earlier in the day.

The man named Jhabar Singh lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at the nearest Bhopa police station, naming the husband of the village head Sanjay Chauhan and her relative Omprakhash Chauhan as the main culprits.

A copy of the FIR was accessed by The Quint, and describes how the two men in question dragged Jhabar Singh with a muffler strap around his neck, and beat him up in full view in the market while abusing him.

"The two accused in the case were arrested after the viral video came to light. The police is working to prevent such incidents from taking place in the future," the Senior Superintendent (SSP) of Muzaffarnagar police, Abhishekh Yadav, said in a statement issued on Tuesday, 22 February.

Alleged Interference in the Internal Matter

The incident reportedly took place on Monday when a meeting was called to resolve a dispute between two Dalit families of the Bihargarh village in the Bhopa district of Muzaffarnagar, and saw the husband of the village head Sanjay Chauhan and Omprakash Chauhan in attendance as the adjudicators.

Jhabar Singh objected to the presence of the husband and the relative of the village head at the meeting, saying that they could resolve their internal matter on their own. "Where were you prior to this?" he asked.

The Chauhan duo were allegedly provoked by Singh's remarks and turned violent before the other attendees could defuse the tensions.

The two, however, caught the Dalit man later in the evening after the meeting had ended, dragging and beating him up. The video of the same went viral soon after.