Maharashtra: For bathing in well, two Dalit teens stripped, beaten
What's the story
In a horrific incident, two Dalit boys were beaten by upper caste men in Vakadi village of Maharashtra's Jalgaon district for swimming in a well. The boys had jumped into the well to beat the heat, after which villagers pulled them out and assaulted them. Congress President Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the incident and slam the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party.
The incident
Men beat boys, they use leaves to cover themselves
The incident reportedly took place on June 10 but gained attention only now, after the video was circulated on social media. In the video, the two teens are seen covering themselves with leaves as men mercilessly beat them. The men used leather belts to thrash the boys. Later the boys' families lodged a police complaint.
Twitter Post
We need to raise voice against RSS, BJP, tweets RaGa
महाराष्ट्र के इन दलित बच्चों का अपराध सिर्फ इतना था कि ये एक "सवर्ण" कुएं में नहा रहे थे।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 15, 2018
आज मानवता भी आखरी तिनकों के सहारे अपनी अस्मिता बचाने का प्रयास कर रही है।
RSS/BJP की मनुवाद की नफरत की जहरीली राजनीति खिलाफ हमने अगर आवाज़ नहीं उठाई तो इतिहास हमें कभी माफ नहीं करेगा pic.twitter.com/STeBSkI1q1
The arrest
After video goes viral, police arrest accused
The police swung to action and arrested Ishwar Joshi and Prahlad Lothar. A case was registered under Prevention of Atrocities Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Joshi and Lothar had made the video, which also had the voice of a man laughing in the background, and shared it on social media. Reportedly, it was Joshi's well where the boys bathed.
Who said what
Meanwhile, political leaders condemn the incident
Stating such incidents can't be tolerated, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil promised action under SC/ST Act. Social Welfare Minister Ramdas Athawale said the government should take strict action against such atrocities. Congress leaders, on the other hand, said atrocities against Dalits had increased in BJP rule. Gujarat lawmaker Jignesh Mevani tweeted, "Now, Una happens in Maharashtra." He added the nation must be shameful.
Looking back
Have we hit a new low? Time to ponder
Not long ago, a Dalit ragpicker was flogged to death in Gujarat. In the same state, four men reportedly thrashed a 13-year-old Dalit boy for wearing 'mojdi'. Recently, Dalits began adding 'Sinh' to their names to reclaim their dignity. The gist is that atrocities against Dalits, which is on the rise, hurts humanity deeper than one can imagine. It's high time this stopped.