J&K: Dalit man 'assaulted' by a group of people with sticks for entering temple

According to the police complaint filed by the victim, some people belonging to the 'upper caste' tied him up and assaulted him with sticks for many hours.

Doda (Jammu and Kashmir):A Dalit man was allegedly assaulted by a group of people with burning sticks when he entered a temple to offer prayers in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district. The incident took place when 23-year-old Bittu Ram Bagat, visited the Chandi Mata Mandir in the Chatargala village.

According to the police complaint filed by the victim, some people belonging to the 'upper caste' tied him up and assaulted him with sticks for many hours and damaged his private parts. The victim claimed that he was rushed to the primary health centre from where he was referred to another health facility.

As per the complaint, he was attacked because he entered a temple despite being a Dalit. Advocate Rajat Ramit, who is fighting the case, said the Doda police have registered an FIR under section 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He demanded that relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Recently in an alleged incident of caste-based violence, a government school teacher was accused of assaulting a minor Dalit student who drank water from the pot kept at the school in the Barmer district of Rajasthan. Police have registered a case against the accused teacher. The alleged incident happened at Government Higher Secondary School, Netrad in Barmer district on Monday, July 3.