SC commission demands justice for Dalit youth thrashed and hung upside down from tree in Punjab

Punjab
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Two weeks after a Dalit youth was beaten and hung upside down in Kotla Sultan Singh village in Amritsar, Punjab, the State Commission for Scheduled Castes ordered the police to arrest culprits and report their findings by April 6, 2022, reported Hindustani 24. According to the report, the police took more than a week to file the crime that occurred on March 15.

Members of the SC community condemned the gruesome murder of Gurwail Singh, who was accused of theft and thrashed for the same. Majitha police took until March 24 to register an FIR and are yet to arrest accused Ladi, Palwinder Singh, Joban Singh and all residents of Kotla Sultan Singh, for wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, crimes by crowds.

#Casteism A Dalit youth mistaken for thief, thrashed, hanged upside down. The incident was reported in the village of Kotla Sultan Singh in #Amritsar district. Punjab Police has not taken any action so far. @BhagwantMann #DalitLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/Pa7jAJvtT4
— The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) March 29, 2022

According to the news reports, the SC Commission took note of the suspected police inaction against the accused, who hanged Sigh upside down from a tree. Similarly, the Times of India reported that on Tuesday, a Commission team led by Senior Vice Chairman Deepak Kumar Verka visited Amritsar.

Meanwhile, Valmikan Sudhar Sabha Head Baba Pankaj Nath Shergill demanded immediate detention of those involved in the crime as well as speedy compensation for the victim and his family. According to Hindustani 24, the youth was suffering from depression after the incident. Shergill told local reporters that the incident exposed the reality of caste discrimination in the community.

Along with the aforementioned IPC sections, Verka also directed the police to register the case against the accused under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

On March 29, Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Ramdas Athawale was asked about the number of cases filed under the aforementioned Act. The National Crime Records Bureau report showed that as many as 58,538 such cases were registered in 2020 with Punjab accounting for 169 of these cases. This further supports Shergill’s argument of caste discrimination in the community.

Government data shows crimes against the SC/ST community have only increased over the years. Recently the government amended the the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act to include new offences, expand scope of presumptions, institutional strengthening. This includes establishment of Exclusive Special Courts and specification of Exclusive Special Public Prosecutors to exclusively try the offences under the Act, and enable expeditious disposal of cases. It also gave power of Special Courts and Exclusive Special Courts to take direct cognisance of offences and as far as possible, completion of trial within two months from the date of filing of the charge sheet, establishing rights of victims and witnesses, and strengthening preventive measures.