In the heart of Ajmer, Rajasthan, a harrowing incident took place on January 26 where a minor Dalit boy was abused and tortured after he tried to make a reel in a public place. The incident has been caught on camera and is circulating widely on the internet.
The victim is a 17 year old tenth-grade student, was busy with creating reels at Ajmer’s Ana Sagar Chaupaati, a popular place for tourists and visitors, when he was attacked. A group of young men approached him and demanded he stop taking the reels. Following which, the men who have been identified as Pushpendra, Rohit, and Gokul, assaulted the boy brutally. They used sticks and forced him to kneel down, and made him utter the word “papa.” Furthermore, the torment did not end there; one of the perpetrators even urinated on the young victim and reportedly even forced him to drink liquor. One of the attackers was even reportedly recording the very video that has now gone viral.
A formal police complaint has been filed at Ajmer’s Christian Ganj police station. In the complaint, according to a report by ETV, the victim has stated that he was harmlessly making reels when he encountered these two men who tried to stop him from making reels. As the assault began, the two attackers were reportedly joined by other youth who beat the boy with rods and sticks. They even threatened to kill him if he were to report the incident to the police. The victim has also stated that they hurled caste based slurs at him.
The police have reportedly filed a case against the suspects based on the complaint under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Police station-incharge has told ETV, that the accused will be arrested soon. On January 29, the family of the boy met the ASP of Ajmer, Mahmood Khan and presented him with the complaint.
It is to be of note that Rajasthan features among the states in India that have the highest reported incidents of crimes against Dalits. According to a report by Sabrang India, Rajasthan ranks the third all of India, with 14 % of the total incidents of violence against Dalits reported in India stemming from the north Indian state.
In recent news from the state, it was reported by The Mooknayak, that funds donated by Dalits for the Ram Temple inauguration were rejected. The publication reported that Dalits in Mundla village were initially invited to take part in the celebrations which involved processions, kalash yatras, and the distribution of prasad. However, what was intended as a festive occasion turned out to become exclusive and discriminatory for the Dalit community. It was then declared that funds from the Dalit community would not be used for these activities. This has resulted in a formal complaint being lodged with the Jhalawar district administration where the complainants have accused the organisers of bias and discrimination. According to The Mooknayak, they spoke to one of the residents of Mundla, Mukesh Meghwal, who stated that their money was returned and they were told it was returned because it was “impure”, and he also stated that they were subjected to caste based slurs.
In September 2023, according to a report by The Hindu, Dalit groups unveiled a manifesto prior to the then upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan during a month-long yatra across the state by Anusuchit Jati Adhikar Abhiyan. They demanded the need to declare certain areas prone to atrocities within the newly formed 19 districts of the state. According to the report, Bhanwar Meghwanshi, a prominent Dalit activist, stated that activists should conduct a “social screening” of candidates fielded by various political parties to check if they have conducted any atrocities against Dalits.
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