Three people were arrested on Monday for allegedly assaulting a Dalit youth last month for sitting on a chair and eating in front of an upper-caste group at a wedding reception in Tehri district of Uttarakhand, NDTV reported. The victim’s sister had filed a complaint on April 29 against a group of seven men.
The assault led to critical injuries and the victim, Jitendra Das, died at a hospital in Dehradun, nine days after receiving treatment. “Three of the seven people have been arrested and a case has been registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes [Prevention of Atrocities] Act,” Ashok Kumar, a senior law and order officer, told NDTV.
Circle officer Uttam Singh, who is investigating the case, said the three arrested – Sobat Singh, Gajendra Singh, and Hukum Singh – were being interrogated and will be presented in a court on Tuesday. “After the investigations and the post-mortem report is received, the remaining four accused would also be nabbed,” the Hindustan Times quoted Uttam Singh as saying.
According to a report in The Times of India, the family members of the deceased, who had earlier refused to cremate the body till the accused were arrested, have now agreed to cremate Das.
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!