Dalit Rahul Anchal was beaten for speaking to a girl from upper caste in Chhattisgarh
A 21-year-old Dalit young man was allegedly stripped, tied to a tree and brutally assaulted by members of the Other Backward Class (OBC) in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district.
The assault took place on April 9. Local reports state that the Dalit man, Rahul Anchal, a resident of Devagaon, was assaulted for speaking to a 16-year-old from the Chandras community (OBC). He was caught by her family, who dragged him, beat him with slippers, electric wires, and plastic pipes. A police action was initiated only after the videos went viral on social media platforms.
Rahul was kept in captivity throughout the night by the upper caste men, constantly slapped even as he desperately sought drinking water.
Following the attack, the Dalit man was admitted to a hospital in Raigarh district for treatment. His condition is critical.
According to Sakti superintendent of police, Ankita Sharma, the reason for not registering a complaint was that none of Rahul’s family members lodged a complaint. However, following the viral videos, police took suo motu cognizance of the case and an FIR was lodged.
The FIR includes several charges under the Indian Penal Code, including Section 109(2) (attempt to murder), Section 296 (obscene acts), Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), Section 126(2) (wrongful restraint), and Section 191(2) (rioting). In addition, provisions from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked.
Further investigations are underway.
This post was last modified on April 13, 2025 6:28 pm