Dalit boy thrown into Holi bonfire for lighting it before time

A 12-year-old Dalit boy was beaten up and thrown into a Holi bonfire by some youths in Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkarnagar district after he lit it before time, say police.

A 12-year-old Dalit boy was beaten up and thrown into a Holi bonfire by some youths in Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkarnagar district after he lit it before time, the police said on Thursday.

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Rajesh, 12, who received burn injuries, is being treated at the government hospital in Ambedkarnagar, some 200 km from Lucknow, police added.

"The incident took place on the eve of Holi in the Sagiya Narayanpur village in Ambedkarnagar. In a fit of rage, some youths of the village beat up Rajesh and later pushed him into the Holi bonfire for lighting it before time," police inspector Azam Ali Khan told IANS on phone.

Following the incident, Dalits in the village are up in arms and demanding action against the culprits.

Khan said the police had registered a case against a resident, Sanjay, who, according to eyewitnesses, was mainly responsible for the crime.

However, Sanjay is yet to be arrested as he fled after the incident took place.