Odisha: Three Dalit men assaulted for alleged cow slaughter

Advocate Sitaram Meher of AILAJ Odisha in front of the Sadar police station, after filing an FIR against Bajrang Dal goons who assaulted three Dalit men

Three Dalit men were assaulted by a group of 30 Bajrang Dal goons on May 1 when the trio were skinning a dead cow in the Bargadh district in Odhisha.

According to a press release by the All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice (AILAJ), the three men, belonging to the Dalit community, are residents of Chakarkend village. On May 1, they received a call from an upper caste family in Nileshwar village to take a dead cow away.

The three men – Kailas Ravidas, Bighnraj Meher, and Dukhu Meher – took the dead cow and were skinning it when they were surrounded by at least 30 Bajrang Dal goons.

#HindutvaTerrorism In Odisha's Bargadh, 3 Dalit men were assaulted by a mob of 30 people from Bajrang Dal when the victims were skinning the dead cow. The video shows that two were seriously injured while one fell unconscious after being hit….++ https://t.co/kOe8udoCxp
— The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) May 5, 2022

Assuming the occurrence of cow slaughter, the goons started brutally assaulting them leading to one of them losing his consciousness.

On Wednesday, advocate Sitaram Meher of AILAJ Odhisha filed a complaint against the perpetrators at Sadar police station, Puri. The victims’ community also demanded free medical care be given to the three injured men. An FIR has been registered.