3 Dalit boys stripped, beaten for using well

Upper caste members allegedly took offence of them swimming in village well

MUMBAI: In a shocking incident, three minor Dalit boys were stripped, beaten and paraded naked in a village in Jamner of Jalgaon district, for allegedly swimming in a village well, officials said on Thursday.

The incident occurred on June 10 (Sunday), but came to the fore only after some videos of the boys being paraded in the Vakadi village went viral on social media sites. Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said that the police have arrested two people — Ishwar Joshi and Palhad Lohar - in the case. Joshi owns the well and filmed the entire incident, while Lohar is his servant, who had beaten the boys on his owner’s instructions.

The police have charged them with various sections under The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), Information Technology Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Last Sunday, to beat the scorching heat, the three young boys, aged between 12-14, jumped into a village well for a swim. As

› We have a witnessed rise in the cases of the such atrocities against Dalits across the country in last four years of the BJP rule... The incident in Jalgaon was a blot for the progressive Maharashtra ASHOK CHAVAN, Congress chief, Maharashtra

some locals learnt of it, a large number of people, including many from the upper castes, gathered and pulled the boys out.

In the video clip that went viral, the boys can be seen wearing only sandals and some tree leaves with at least one person whipping them on the legs and back with what appeared to be a leather belt. Patil insisted that the case should not be given te caste colour as all the victims as well as the accused come from backward classes. Of the three victims, two are scheduled castes and one is from the scheduled tribes, while the well owner is from the nomadic tribe community.