Four Dalit men were reportedly hanged upside down from a tree and beaten with sticks by a group of six men over suspicions of stealing a goat and pigeons in Maharashtras Ahmednagar district, police officials said on Sunday.The incident came to light when a video of the attack surfaced on social media, following which the police arrested one person in connection with the assault, while the other five suspects remain at large, a police officer told media personnel.According to the official, the incident transpired on August 25 in Haregaon village of Shrirampur taluka, when a group of six individuals from the village took four Dalit men, all in their twenties, from their homes. The victims were then subjected to a traumatic ordeal involving being hung upside down and brutally beaten over allegations of theft.Another day in Maharashtra, another caste atrocity.This video is from Shrirampur, Ahmednagar where a Dalit youth is seen pleading his innocence with folded hands.3 Dalit boys were thrashed and each of them hung upside down by a group of 4 men on suspicion of theft of pigeons.… pic.twitter.com/KzQhzanzvs— Prakash Ambedkar (@Prksh_Ambedkar) August 27, 2023The six accused were identified as Yuvraj Galande, Manoj Bodake, Pappu Parkhe, Deepak Gaikwad, Durgesh Vaidya, and Raju Borage. The viral video was allegedly shot by one of the six accused.After the assault, the injured victims were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Shubham Magade, one of the victims, lodged a formal complaint with the police. A case has been registered under various sections of the IPC, including 307 (attempt to murder) and 364 (kidnapping), as well as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.Brutality on Dalits in Maharashtra leads to protests, opposition condemnationsThe incident sparked outrage, leading to a shutdown in Haregaon village as a mark of protest against the brutality. Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), expressed their condemnation of the incident.Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole decried the incident as a blot on humanity and called for the immediate arrest of all involved, along with stringent punishment. “Such incidents are a result of hate being spread by BJP for its political gain,” Patole said.Meanwhile, Mahesh Tapase, the chief spokesman of the NCP, accused the government of failing to safeguard the self-respect of Dalit individuals.महाराष्ट्रात जातीयतेच्या नागाने परत एकदा फणा काढला. नगर जिल्ह्यात तीन दलित तरुणांना झाडावर उलटं लटकून कपडे काढून बेदाम मारहाण.मनुस्मृतीचे पूजक राज्यात सक्रिय. दलितांच्या आत्मसन्मानाची व रक्षणाची जबाबदारी पार पाडण्यास सरकार अपयशी.@NCPspeaks @PTI_News @ANI— Mahesh Bharet Tapase महेश भारत तपासे (@maheshtapase) August 27, 2023“The snake of casteism has once again taken its hide in Maharashtra. In Nagar district, three Dalit youths were hanged upside down on a tree and beaten. Manusmriti worshippers are active in the state. The government has failed to fulfil the responsibility of self-respect and protection of Dalits,” Tapase tweeted.
