DALIT BEATEN TO DEATH IN GUJARAT

Rajkot, May 21: A 35year-old Dalit ragpicker was allegedly beaten to death in a factory compound near Rajkot district’s Shapar town by five people, including the factory owner, who suspected that he and his wife were stealing scrap, officials said today.

Mukesh Vaniya was lynched and his wife Jayaben Vaniya roughed up, officials said.

A video of the incident — purportedly showing two people taking turns to beat the Vaniya with a stick while another person holds him by a rope tied to his waist — was circulated widely on social media.

The police arrested the five people based on the video, a police official said.

Rajkot, May 21: A 35-year-old Dalit ragpicker was allegedly beaten to death in a factory compound near Rajkot district's Shapar town by five people, including the factory owner, who suspected that he and his wife were stealing scrap, officials said on Monday.

The government is taking stern action against the culprits, Gujarat Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said. “We stand with the family of the victim,” Jadeja said, adding that the government had announced a compensation of `8.25 lakh for the kin of the victim. A video of the incident -- purportedly showing two people taking turns to beat the Vaniya with a stick while another person holds him by a rope tied to his waist -- was circulated widely on social media.

The police arrested the five people based on the video, a police official said. The arrests followed Jayaben's police complaint on Sunday evening. Mukesh died while being taken to the government hospital in Rajkot, an official said.