Dalit man stripped naked, assaulted in Rajasthan; FIR lodged after 8 days

A Dalit man was allegedly beaten, sexually assaulted, and urinated upon by two upper caste men in Rajasthan’s Sikar district, police said on Sunday, April 20.

The incident took place on April 8, but an FIR was registered on April 16. In his complaint, the Dalit young man alleged he was called castiest slurs while being attacked.

According to the police complaint, the Dalit man was enjoying a wedding procession when he was called by his attackers under the pretext of work. The two men took the young man to a secluded place, stripped him naked, sexually attacked him and threatened to harm his father who works abroad.

“An FIR has been filed. The victim’s medical exam was done, and his statement was recorded. Investigations are ongoing,” DSP Arvind Kumar said.

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot condemned the incident and raised questions on the delay of filing an FIR. “The trauma was so severe that the victim couldn’t file a complaint for eight days,” he said.

Rajasthan Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully, who is also a Dalit, described the act as shameful. “This is the reality of Rajasthan today, a Dalit youth kidnapped, beaten, sexually assaulted, and humiliated. This is not a movie scene, it’s a shameful truth.”

Recently, Jully suffered humiliation from a former MLA Gyandev Ahuja, who sprinkled gangajal after Jully visited a Ram temple in Alwar district, on the occasion of Ram Navami day on April 6.

Soon after the Dalit leader left, Ahuja ordered ‘purification’ of the temple. In his defence, he claimed that those who do not believe in Lord Ram were ‘sinful’ and justified the “purification.”