Dalit man hung upside down in Telangana, beaten up for 'stealing'; four arrested

A person belonging to Scheduled Caste community, was allegedly hung upside down and beaten up in a shed in Mancherial District of Telangana by a man and his family members on suspicion of stealing a goat and an iron pipe, police said on Sunday (September 3). Four people have been arrested for the assault.

The incident took place at Mandamarri mandal of the district on September 1. The man was rescued by his relatives and was treated for his injuries.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, though it was not clear who videographed it.

A man and his family members along with another person working with them allegedly hung upside down the Dalit person in the cattle shed, hit him with a stick and also lit a fire on the floor. His friend was also tied up in a similar way, police said.

The Dalit man's aunt approached the police on Saturday and lodged a complaint stating that her kin was tortured by the four persons.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act besides under IPC sections 342 (wrongful confinement) and 307 (attempt to murder), police said.

During the course of investigation, four persons including the man, his wife and their son along with another person were arrested, a senior police official said on Sunday.

Police said a fortnight ago, the man found one of his goats missing and last week an iron pipe being stolen.

Suspecting that the Dalit man was involved in the theft, the accused brought him along with his friend to the shed and allegedly tied them upside down, police said.

Some friends of the injured person informed the incident to his family members who got them released from the shed, police said.

(With inputs from agencies)