A Dalit student was beaten up by members of a Hindutva group after he allegedly shared an allegedly derogatory post on social media about Bhimrao Ambedkar and deities Ram and Hanuman in Karnataka’s Bidar district on Monday, the day the Ram temple was consecrated in Ayodhya, The Quint reported.
“When I was coming back from college, they stopped me and said that I had posted a status insulting Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman,” he said. in a police complaint. “When I told them that I did not do anything wrong, they grabbed me and made me sit inside an autorickshaw.”
Videos on social media showed the men dressed in saffron slapping the 17-year-old as he disembarks from an autorickshaw. The boy is then taken to a temple, where he is seen lying on the ground before the deity. He is also forced to shout “Jai Shri Ram”.
The police registered a case on Tuesday after the videos went viral. They have arrested three men suspected to be involved in the assault.
The case has been registered under Section 506 (criminal intimidation), 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code as well as under provisions of The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!