Rajasthan Congress MLA booked for 'forcing Dalit man to lick his shoe'

An FIR has been registered against Congress MLA Gopal Meena and five police officers after the politician allegedly forced a Dalit man to lick his shoe and an officer urinated on him, police said on Friday.

The FIR was lodged on a court’s direction after the victim accused the police of ignoring his complaint, added. The Jamwa Ramgarh MLA, however, refuted the charges and said that fake allegations have been made against him due to a property-related dispute. “It is a tactic to mount pressure on me. Some people want me to help them in illegal land encroachment. I don’t know the man who registered this case,” Meena said.

Also read: Madhya Pradesh: Dalit smeared with faeces after he touches OBC man with grease

The complainant has alleged that Circle Officer Shivkumar Bhardwaj urinated on him after the incident, which occurred on June 30. He alleged that the police picked him up while he was working in a farm and took him to a place where the MLA forced him to lick his shoe.

“Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shiv Kumar Bhardwaj physically assaulted me and urinated on me. The police officer used the name of Congress MLA Gopal Meena to threaten me, saying that he is the king of the area,” the FIR said. The names of MLA Meena and DSP Bhardwaj have been named as accused in the FIR.

Also read: Uttar Pradesh: One held for assaulting, forcing Dalit man to lick slippers

The complainant also alleged that the legislator and the cop took away his mobile phone and threatened him with dire consequences. He also alleged that the police refused to file a complaint initially, following which he approached senior authorities, but even then no action was initiated.

Jamwa Ramgarh SHO Sitaram Saini said the case was registered on July 27 and the matter was sent to CID (CB) for investigation. He said that apart from the Circle Officer, the SHOs of four police stations have been named in the FIR.

(With agency inputs)