E-Paper
Lawyers thrash Dalit in court
Hemendra Chaturvedi
A group of lawyers in the Agra civil court tied a young Dalit man to a tree, tonsured him and took turns to beat him up on Tuesday afternoon. A few even spat on him. They allegedly meted out this punishment to 22-year-old Vinod Kumar for his alleged threats to a lawyer.
According to the police, at 2 pm, Kumar had come to the court to sort out a dispute with a relative, Ravinder, who is a lawyer in the Agra court. Kumar is the brother-in-law of Ravinder’s elder brother. After a heated exchange, the duo reportedly exchanged blows.
Soon, other lawyers joined their colleague, dragged Kumar and tied him to a tree on the court premises with his own shirt. They then allegedly called a barber to tonsure him and repeatedly slapped him.
When the news was flashed on television, the lawyers’ association was forced to constitute a five-member committee to investigate and submit its report to the Collectorate Bar Council within three days. The report would be sent to the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, said Hemant Bhardwaj, a committee member.
“Some of the lawyers have been identified and their statements were recorded,” said Bhardwaj. Meanwhile, a report was lodged at the New Agra police station.
