The Rajasthan Police have registered a first information report against eight persons after they allegedly assaulted and forced a Dalit man to drink their urine in Churu district, The Indian Express reported on Saturday.
Rakesh Meghwal, a resident of Rukhasar village, was attacked on Wednesday night. The case was registered a day later.
According to the first information report, the accused persons forcibly took Meghwal from his house to a nearby field in a car where he was forced to drink alcohol. The accused persons also allegedly urinated in the bottle and made him drink it.
The eight persons have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 365 (kidnapping) and 382 (theft) and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Meghwal told the police that the accused persons left him in the village thinking he was dead and stole his mobile phone.
He alleged that the accused persons had personal enmity with him because of a dispute that took place during the Holi festival last year.
“We are trying to arrest the accused,” Ratangarh Circle Officer Himanshu Sharma said, according to The Indian Express. “Prima facie, the allegations of Meghwal being assaulted have been found to be true.”
However, Sharma said that they have not discovered any evidence regarding the allegation that Meghwal was forced to drink urine.
“We are investigating this,” he said. “Meghwal is able to walk and most of his injuries are on his back, which appears to be made by ropes. All the accused are from the Jat community.”
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