4 men booked for beating up, urinating on Dalit teen for riding a bike

The police have booked four upper caste men for harassing and assaulting a Dalit teen, after he filed a complaint against them in the Pudukkotai district of Tamil Nadu. The 18-year-old was taken to an isolated place, beaten up and urinated upon for daring to ride a bike.

The police told The Indian Express that the youth was on a fishing trip with a couple of family members on January 24, when their bike had a flat tyre. After the bike was repaired, the family was eating at a local eatery, when a man named Pradeep and his brother approached them. The duo questioned them about the village they came from and their father’s name.

The teenager answered their questions, after which Pradeep allegedly used a derogatory word for his caste. He then wanted to know how they “dared” to ride a bike in front of them, implying that people from lower castes are not allowed to ride bikes. When he objected to the insult, Pradeep allegedly punched him in the face.

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Not wishing to inflame the situation, the youth drove to a government hospital and got himself treated for the injury.

But, when he was returning from the hospital, he was waylaid and abducted by Pradeep, his brother Moorthy, and a third person in a car. He was then taken to an isolated place where the accused, who were in an inebriated state, allegedly took turns beating him. They forced alcohol down his throat and also urinated on him.

Finally, the youth escaped and got himself admitted to Aranthangi Government Hospital, after which he lodged a complaint at the Mimisal police station in Pudukottai.

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The police have booked Pradeep, Moorthy, and another unidentified person under Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 365 (abduction) 294 (b) obscene act to insult, 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (II) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, as well as the SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015.