UP: Dalit teen stripped, beaten and urinated upon, dies by suicide in Basti
Aditya was invited to a birthday celebration at his village where he was stripped, brutally beaten, and urinated upon by four individuals who also allegedly recorded the act on their phones
In a shocking incident, Aditya, a 17-year-old Dalit teenager, who was allegedly stripped, assaulted and urinated upon, died by suicide in Basti in Uttar Pradesh.
Basti's Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Pradeep Kumar Tripathi confirmed to the media that Aditya hanged himself and a case has been registered in the relevant sections.
The police suspected 'mutual differences' led to the incident, while the family also felt 'prior animosity' led to the severe harassment of the teen.
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The assault
According to the teen's family, Aditya was invited to a birthday party by a local on the night of December 20. During the celebrations, he was stripped, brutally beaten, and urinated upon by four individuals who also allegedly recorded the act on their phones.
The accused later threatened to make the video viral. The boy pleaded with the alleged accused to delete the video, but they humiliated him further, forcing him to lick his spit, the family alleged in their complaint.
The teen returned home and told his family about the incident and later hung himself.
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Police ignore family complaint
The grieving family took the body to a nearby police station, demanding they take action against the accused. However, the authorities initially failed to register a case or take any action, they alleged.
The family then carried the boy's body to the Basti's SP office and staged a sit-in protest in the premises. After a few hours, the police registered a case and assured them that they will take action against the accused.
The victim's mother accused the police of corruption, alleging that they were shielding the accused by not acting promptly. Meanwhile, the boy's uncle told the media that the motive behind the assault was not clear but he suspected prior animosity.
The DSP said the victim's body was sent for postmortem, and an investigation is underway. And, he assured that 'strict action' will be taken against the culprits.
(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)
