Karnataka: Upper caste men assault dalit for eating ‘panipuri’ in their locality; six held

Karnataka police have arrested six persons for allegedly assaulting five members of a Dalit family, including a woman, for eating 'panipuri at Arasinakere village in Mysuru district, the police said on Monday.

According to the police, the accused barged inside the residence of the victims and assaulted them. The injured persons, including Soubhagya, Dileep, Chandan, Madhukar and Prasanna, have been admitted to a local hospital.

The arrested persons have been identified as Murthy, Sachin, Naveen, Mahadevaswamy, Chandan and Santhosh.

According to the complaint, Dileep, Prasanna and Madhukar had gone to eat 'panipuri' in a locality with majority upper caste population.

The accused had objected to it and Murthy and Sachin had assaulted the victims. The elders of the village held a panchayat and brokered peace between them. However, the accused later barged into the residence of the victims and attacked Dileep, Prasanna and Madhukar. Soubhagya and Chandan, who were at home and came to the rescue of victims, were also beaten up, the police said.

The victims filed a complaint alleging atrocity, abuse and life threat at the Jayapura police station.

The police went to the village and spoke to the victims and assured them of security. They also warned that such incidents should not be repeated in the village.