What happened to the Dalit Boy?
Written by Preethi and Ram
AGRA: In the Sirsaganj region of Firozabad district, an 18-year-old Dalit teenager who sought to stop an "inebriated" higher caste man from rashly driving a tractor in the village was severely beaten up the next day, reportedly by the latter's family.
On Monday, police filed an FIR against four higher caste men — Virendra, Obay, Shivam, and Satyam — in response to a complaint filed by the youth's mother.
Mamta Devi said in her complaint that on Friday, she was sitting outside our house with her son and other family members. Harnam Singh, a local native, arrived about 6 p.m. on a tractor that he purposefully drove off the road, near to where we were seated. We narrowly escaped with our lives. Abhay. D, my son, protested his reckless driving. Harnam screamed at us, enraged. We didn't quarrel with him since he was drunk. After frightening my son with dire consequences, he left.
The next day, Abhay was riding his bicycle to the local market when he was stopped by four men—Harnam's sons and a nephew. They mercilessly beat up on my son. Villagers informed me, and I hurried to the spot, where I saw my son unconscious on the field. The men left, After threatening to kill my son and banish my family from the town if we dared to speak out against them, she claimed.
Abhay's father, a daily wager, voiced his concerns for his family's safety. "My son has been severely injured and I will have to borrow money to pay for his care, I have two unmarried daughters." The men of the upper caste have threatened us with dire consequences and expulsion from the village.
Additional Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Narayan Singh stated. "The case is being investigated by the Sirsaganj circle deputy superintendent of police. The four accused men will be arrested as soon as possible.
The four have been charged under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing harm), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
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