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Dalit Teen Dies By Suicide After Being Stripped Naked, Beaten

Dalit Teen Dies By Suicide After Being Stripped Naked, Beaten
Two different but similar distressing stories have come to light, one from Uttar Pradesh and another from Chhattisgarh.

Uttar Pradesh’s Basti District:

Here, a 17-year-old Dalit boy, Aditya, from Basti, Uttar Pradesh, tragically took his life. This comes after the boy allegedly endured a horrifying series of assaults. Reports suggest that the boy was humiliated at a birthday celebration event.

Aditya was a class 10 student. He was invited to the party on December 20 by some local youths in his area. During the birthday celebration, Aditya was allegedly stripped naked by the youths. He was brutally beaten, and urinated upon. As if it weren’t enough he was forced to endure degrading acts, including licking spits.

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According to reports the accused recorded the whole incident on their phones. They further threatened Aditya to make the video public if he told anyone about their actions. Traumatized by the incident, Aditya shared his ordeal with his family members. The victim’s mother accused the police of corruption, alleging that they were shielding the accused by not acting promptly.

But feeling humiliated, Aditya took his own life on December 24. His lifeless body was found hanging in his room by the family members. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared by the doctors on arrival. Aditya’s family alleged that local authorities failed to act promptly.

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Vijay Kumar, his Uncle, stated that despite their repeated requests and attempts, the police initially refused to register their complaint. He said “The incident occurred on December 20, but we learned about it the next day. Aditya came home late at night and narrated the ordeal the following morning. Despite our efforts, the authorities did not register our complaint for three days. They harassed him again, which led to his suicide.”

He further said that the police filed the complaint only after the whole family staged a sit-in protest. The family protested with Aditya’s body at the Superintendent of Police’s office. Later a case was registered under relevant sections of the law.

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Speaking to News agency ANI, Circle Officer (CO) Pradeep Kumar Tripathi stated, “A boy named Aditya hanged himself, and a case has been registered in PS Kaptanganj. A case has been registered in the relevant sections…The reason is suspected to be mutual differences.”

Tripathi confirmed Three of the accused have been arrested, while a fourth remains absconding. He also stated that strict action will be taken against the culprits and an investigation is underway.

Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh District:

A 50-year-old Dalit man, Panchram Sarthi, also known as Butu, was tied to a tree and beaten to death as reported by The Hindu. All on the suspicion of trying to steal a sack of rice in Chhattisgarh’s Dumar Palli village. The alleged incident occurred in the early hours of December 24 at around 2 a.m.

According to the Chhattisgarh police, the main accused is Virendra Sidar. Sidar alleged that the old man was attempting to steal a sack of rice from his home. Enraged by the suspicion, Sidar called his neighbors, Ajay Pradhan and Ashok Pradhan.

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The trio allegedly tied Panchram to a tree and thrashed him with huge bamboo sticks. They kicked and punched him repeatedly leaving him unconscious. The police authorities were informed at around 6 a.m. by the village Sarpanch and the villagers.

Upon reaching the spot the police found Panchram’s unconscious body still tied to the tree. They immediately took him to the nearby hospital for treatment. Despite efforts to save him, he succumbed to his injuries.

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According to the police, the three accused have been arrested at Chakradhar Nagar Police Station. All three are charged with murder under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). However, questions are being raised over the charges under which the accused are booked.

Lawyer and activist Degree Prasad Chouhan told the Indian Express, “It does not matter what was the reason behind attacking him. Can they take the law into their own hands? It’s a case of mob lynching.”

Legal experts argue that the case qualifies as mob lynching under Section 103(2) of the BNS. Section 103(2) of BNS provides that when a group of five or more persons acting in concert murders on the grounds of race, caste or community, sex, place of birth, language, personal belief, or any other similar ground.

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The punishment for mob lynching under this section is death, life imprisonment, or a fine for each member of the group involved. Activists emphasize that taking the law into one’s own hands is unacceptable, regardless of the alleged crime.

By some estimates, 1 crime is committed against a Dalit every 18 minutes.13 Dalits are murdered every week. 27 atrocities against Dalits every day. Around 45,935 cases of violence against Dalits are recorded each year.

Now, both incidents have reignited concerns about caste-based discrimination and violence in India. On one hand in Uttar Pradesh, Aditya’s family continues to demand accountability for the police’s initial inaction. On the other hand in Chhattisgarh, activists are calling for the inclusion of mob lynching charges to ensure justice is served.

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