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Two minor boys belonging to Dalit community were allegedly beaten up and paraded naked in a village in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, for swimming in a well that belonged to an upper caste person. The teenagers were paraded by two men, one of whom owned the well.
Police have arrested the men, identified as Ishwar Joshi and Prahlad Lohar, in connection with the incident on 10 June. The accused were sent to judicial remand by a local court on 11 June.
The matter came to light when a video of the alleged assault and stripping of the boys went viral on social media. The clip purportedly shows the two boys, aged 15 and 16, being beaten up with a belt and paraded naked in Pahur village in Jamner taluka by the accused duo, a local police official told PTI.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi condemned the incident, saying “taking bath” was the boys’ only “fault.” In the tweet, he also added that history will not forgive people if they do not question the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The boys had gone for a swim in the well belonging to Joshi, a farmer, in Wakadi village around 3 pm on June 10.
“While returning home after swimming, both the teenagers were caught by Joshi and his farm worker Prahlad Lohar,” he said. According to the official, the cries of the boys to spare them fell on deaf ears, reported PTI.
He said the boys were paraded naked in the village while one of the accused used his mobile phone to film the incident and circulate it on social media. The parents of the boys came to know about the incident after the video went viral, following which they approached the Pahur police.
Accused Booked Under POCSO
On the complaint of the father of one of the victims, Joshi and Lohar were booked under Sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC, said the officer.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Keshav Pathond told PTI that Joshi and Lohar were also booked under the Atrocity Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and section 67 (B) of the Information and Technology Act.
Una in Maharashtra, Says Mevani
Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani slammed the government saying that the incident would not have occurred had Una flogging been dealt with adequately.
Now, Una happens in Maharashtra. Dalit boys are humiliated and beaten up only for jumping into the well of non-Dalit caste people. Had the justice be ensured to the victims of Una, this wouldn’t have happened (sic).Jignesh Mevani on Twitter
According to the Indian Express, Maharashtra’s Minister for Revenue Chandrakant Patil assured strict action under the SC/ST Act, adding that “such incidents cannot be tolerated.”
Union Social Welfare Minister Ramdas Athawale also reportedly condemned the incident, saying the government must take strict against against those responsible for the atrocities.
(With inputs from The Indian Express, PTI)
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