A 50-year-old Dalit man was beaten to death by a mob over suspicion of theft in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, the police said.
The police arrested three persons in connection with the incident in Dumarpali village, nearly 250 km from capital Raipur. According to the police, the victim, Panch Ram Sarthi, was tied to a pole and assaulted with sticks.
Raigarh Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel said the police received information that Sarthi was caught and assaulted at the residence of Virendra Sidar in Dumarpali on Sunday. He added that based on the information, a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita was registered and Sidar, along with accomplices Ajay Pradhan and Ashok Pradhan, were arrested.
The accused allegedly told the police that Sarthi entered Sidar’s house around 2:00 a.m., and Sidar, who was sleeping, woke up and caught him. “After this, he, along with his neighbours, tied him with a plastic rope and thrashed him with sticks, which resulted in his death,” said a senior police officer.
Local activists demanded a high level probe and claimed that such incidents against Dalits have happened before too.
“This is not the first incident of lynching of Dalits after accusing them of theft in Chhattisgarh. Earlier, in Lailunga police station of Raigarh district, Arvind Sarathi, a Dalit, was beaten to death in the police station after he was accused of theft. While hearing that case, the then District Sessions and Special Judge raised doubts over the police investigation and asked the Chhattisgarh government to order a Central Bureau of Investigation [CBI] investigation into the incident,” said Degree Prasad Chauhan, a human rights activists in Raigarh.
Published – December 23, 2024 08:31 pm IST