Village head held for shooting Dalit man over ‘stolen’ radish

Muzaffarnagar: A village headman has been arrested for shooting at a Dalit man and thrashing his family for allegedly stealing a radish.

The gram pradhan Anil was arrested at Hurmujpur village under Kandhla police station area in Shamli district last evening, police said.

Police have also seized a pistol which was used in the crime from the headman’s possession.

The headman, along with three others, including his son Nishant and nephew Sarouttem, had gone to the victim Sunil Kumar’s house and started beating up his family members on November 27.

They accused the family of stealing a radish from the gram pradhan’s fields. When Kumar protested, the accused fired at him. The 30-year-old was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

A case had been registered against all four accused under various sections of the IPC as well as the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.