MP: Dalit man thrashed for sitting on chair in front of upper caste person

Hallu Ahirwar, 28, of Chowka village was admitted to the district hospital and his condition is now stable

A Dalit man was allegedly thrashed for sitting on a chair in front of an upper caste man in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, bringing to light yet another instance of caste discrimination prevalent in the country.

For representational purposes only. (Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Hallu Ahirwar, 28, of Chowka village was admitted to the district hospital and his condition is now stable.

“Raghu Singh Thakur and two others have been booked under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and under relevant sections of SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act. They are currently absconding,” Bijawar sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Raghu Kesari said.

“Hallu had come to panchayat bhawan to inquire about a government scheme. He was sitting on a chair. Rohit Singh came to the office and scolded Hallu. He abused him over how a Dalit person could sit on a chair in front of him. The villagers had to then diffuse the situation,” Chowka village sarpanch Krishna Gopal said.

Later, Rohit went to Hallu’s home with two others and thrashed him brutally, before escaping from the spot.

“Here in the village, untouchability is still in practice. A day after he argued over equal rights, Hallu was beaten up brutally. It is very unfortunate,” panchayat secretary Arvind Ahirwar said.