A Dalit family in Tamil Nadu has alleged that their 14-year-old son was asked to eat his own feaces and then carry it for five metres by a caste Hindu landlord after the boy defecated on the landlord's patta land.
The incident reportedly took place in Pennagaram in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri district.
The landlord, identified as Rajsekhar, allegedly abused the class 10 boy using casteist slurs and then assaulted him with a cane to carry the excreta to his house, reports The News Minute.
The boy's father has filed a complaint with the police, based on which a case has been registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act.
“It was raining heavily on 15 July and my son got an umbrella from me and left home for defecating in the open. We have a toilet constructed by the Central government but we do not have water, so we defecate in the open. On that day also, my child was defecating on the land owned by Rajasekhar, when he passed by that way. On seeing the child, he immediately got down from the vehicle and started hitting my son with a cane for defecating in the open," Rajsekhar's father told TNM.
“Rajasekhar told my son to eat the faeces since he had defecated on his land. He also uttered a casteist slur to my boy and told him to pick up the excreta with his hands,” he further added.
The father says that even as passers by tried to help, Rajsekhar did not let them. His son has not been able to eat since the incident.
The police have registered a case against Rajesekhar under Section 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of Indian Penal Code and Section 3 (1) (i) of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
(With inputs from The News Minute)
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