E-Paper
Dalit man brutalised over money dispute in Bareilly, head shaved; two held
The victim, Pappu Diwakar, a resident of Garsauli village in Baheri tehsil, alleged that he was assaulted and publicly humiliated after demanding the return of money he had lent
An alleged case of caste-based violence and public humiliation has been reported from the Nawabganj area of Bareilly district on Saturday, where a Scheduled Caste man was subjected to inhuman treatment following a financial dispute.
The victim, Pappu Diwakar, a resident of Garsauli village in Baheri tehsil, alleged that he was assaulted and publicly humiliated after demanding the return of money he had lent. In his complaint to the Nawabganj police, Diwakar said he had been living in Geltanda village at the house of Chandrasen, who had borrowed ₹4.5 lakh from him to purchase a tractor.
According to the complaint, when Diwakar asked for his money back, Chandrasen, his son Pappu and another accused, Godhan Lal, along with several associates, allegedly attacked him. The accused are alleged to have beaten him, abused him using caste-based slurs, and deliberately humiliated him in front of villagers.
The victim further alleged that the accused forcibly shaved his head, cut his moustache and eyebrow hair with scissors, and smeared mud on his face to publicly disgrace him.
Following the incident, Diwakar approached the Nawabganj police station on Saturday and submitted a written complaint. Acting on it, the police registered a case against three named accused, Chandrasen, his son Pappu and Godhan Lal, along with four to five unidentified persons. Two of the accused have been taken into custody and are being interrogated.
Nawabganj station house officer Arun Kumar Srivastava said Chandrasen and Godhan Lal have been detained for questioning, while efforts are underway to trace and arrest the third named accused. “A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and the SC/ST Act based on the victim’s complaint, and a thorough investigation is underway,” he said.
Meanwhile, discussions in the village have also brought up allegations that Diwakar practises occult rituals and had allegedly misled people by claiming that treasure was buried in their homes. Police officials said these claims are also being examined as part of the overall investigation.
