A Dalit activist was
beaten up, subjected to casteist abuse and forced to drink urine after he filed an application under the Right to Information Act for details about a village panchayat in Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh, PTI reported on Monday.
The activist, Shashikant Jatav, who sustained severe injuries, was shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, said Additional Superintendent of Police Jayraj Kuber.
Two of seven accused persons have been arrested in connection with the assault, according to the police.
A case was registered under provisions of the Indian Penal Code for attempt to murder and abduction, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to the PTI report.
The officer said that the police will be sent to the national capital to record Jatav’s statement, based on which more penal provisions may be invoked.
Kuber said that Jatav was beaten up by the husband of the Barai village sarpanch, the panchayat secretary and others, since they were angered by the RTI query.
They called Jatav to the office on February 23 and hurled casteist slurs at him and physically assaulted him. The police said Jatav has alleged that he was made to drink urine from a shoe.
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