Jalna: The Tehsil Police on Thursday registered a case against six persons for allegedly intercepting a Dalit man, assaulting and abusing him, and forcibly putting cow dung into his mouth, an official said. The FIR was registered three months after the alleged incident.
The incident allegedly took place on May 23, when the complainant, Parameshwar Suhas Hiwale, was returning to Jalna with his 11-year-old son and Narayan Maroti Kamble after visiting a weekly cattle market at Deulgaon Raja, police said.
According to the complaint, the group intercepted their vehicle near a T-point in the Kanhaiyanagar area of Jalna and questioned them about a bull being transported. The complainant alleged that the accused claimed to be cow protectors and Bajrang Dal activists.
Hiwale alleged that the accused caught him by the collar, slapped him and hurled caste-related abuses after asking his name and caste. He said he showed documents relating to the purchase of the bull, but the accused allegedly continued to assault and threaten him.
The complainant further alleged that the accused brought cow dung from the vehicle and forcibly put it into his mouth. He also alleged that an attempt was made to force cow dung into the mouth of his minor son, but he resisted and moved the boy away.
Kamble was also allegedly abused and assaulted, while the vehicle was reportedly damaged during the incident, the complaint stated.
The complainant alleged that one of the accused recorded the incident on a mobile phone and threatened him and his family with serious consequences if they approached the police. He also alleged that the accused threatened to circulate the video on social media.
The accused have been identified as Venkatish Bhagat, Arjun Singh, Ritesh Deshmukh, Shivraj Pichade, Yash Sarkate and Somesh Patil, all residents of Jalna.
Hiwale submitted his complaint at the Tehsil Police Station on Aug 21 after learning that a video of the alleged incident had circulated on social media.
He told police that he came to know about the video on Aug 20 after his cousin informed him that it had been posted on Instagram. He subsequently viewed the video and decided to approach the police.
Police have registered a case under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 126(2), 115(2), 189(2), 352 and 351(2), besides provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Police Inspector Santosh Sable said.
