Barmer: In yet another case of caste-based violence against people belonging to SC/ST, a group of men forced a Dalit man and his son to drink urine after beating them up in the Barmer city of Rajasthan.
As stated by the FIR registered by the local police of Bijrad, the father-son duo,
Raichand Meghwal and his son Ramesh were at a grocery store in Gohad Ka Tala village when they were suddenly accosted by at least 15 men, who then made
Raichand drank urine and denigrated the pair by using caste slurs. While the father was struck in the head and lost a tooth, the son suffered a fractured leg and a wounded hand. They were taken to Chauhan for primary care and later transferred to the Government Medical College in Barmer for additional treatment.
The police have filed a case against the fifteen absconding attackers, including a Khet Singh, the main suspect, based on the pair’s accusation.
There have been similar occurrences in the recent past, where members of the Dalit community have been ‘taught a lesson’ for their day to day life decisions. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), crimes against Scheduled Castes have consistently increased in Rajasthan over the previous years. According to the
NCRB 2019 statistics, crimes against Dalits increased by almost 50% in Rajasthan in 2019 compared to 2018. In 2019, the state reported 6,794 occurrences of atrocities against Scheduled Castes, up to 4,607 in 2018. Compared to 2017, the year 2018 had an increase of nearly 8%, even with all the laws against SC/ST atrocities in place.
It is high time that the recurrences of these incidents are highlighted, provided relief for and prevented in the future by our governmental mechanisms and social awareness and sensitivity.
