A 25-year-old Dalit man was allegedly abducted, beaten, and forced to drink urine in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district after quitting his job as a driver; three accused have been arrested.
In a separate case in Lucknow, an elderly Dalit man was allegedly forced to lick the ground near a temple after being accused of urinating there; the accused has been arrested.
A 25-year-old Dalit man was allegedly abducted, assaulted, and forced to drink urine in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, prompting police to arrest three accused, officials said. In a separate case in Uttar Pradesh, an elderly Dalit man was allegedly forced to lick the ground near a temple on the outskirts of Lucknow during Diwali after being accused of urinating there, police said.
According to the police, the main accused in MP targeted the man after he stopped working as his driver. The victim is undergoing treatment in hospital, and further investigation is underway, an official said on Tuesday.
As per the complaint, three persons abducted the victim from Gwalior on Monday and took him to Bhind, where he was beaten and forced to drink urine. Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Pathak said the three accused assaulted the man and made him consume urine twice—first during the journey and again after chaining him in Akutpura village.
The victim, a resident of Akutpura in the Surpura police station area, claimed he was taken from his in-laws’ home in Deendayal Nagar, Gwalior, in an SUV. He alleged that the attackers beat him with a plastic pipe and forced him to drink urine from a bottle before tying him up and repeating the act.
An official said the victim had earlier worked as a driver for the main accused, Sonu Barua of Datawali village, but had recently quit, which allegedly led to the assault.
"A case has been registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for kidnapping, assault, and inhuman treatment," Pathak said. The three arrested accused were identified as Sonu Barua, Alok Sharma, and Chhotu Ojha.
A case has been also registered against the accused in Lucknow under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The accused has been arrested.
The victim’s family claimed he had breathing difficulties and urinated accidentally while coughing. As per the accused’s account, the victim was only made to touch the ground.
After the incident, the opposition parties accused the ruling BJP of fostering an anti-Dalit environment.
In his complaint, Rampal Rawat said, "Yesterday evening, I was drinking water at Sheetla Maataa Mandir in the Kakori area of Lucknow, when Swami Kant accused me of urinating.
"I said that I have not urinated, and water has fallen there. But, he (Pammu) did not relent, and hurled casteist abuses at me. He threatened me and made me lick it," the complainant told police on Tuesday.
His grandson, Mukesh Kumar, told PTI, "My grandfather has breathing difficulties. If he does not take the prescribed medicines, he may not survive. Yesterday evening, he started coughing, and he accidentally urinated. After this, Pammu came there and started hurling casteist words at my grandfather."
Mukesh Kumar said, "My grandfather did not tell anyone about the incident in the night. He narrated the incident today. Following this, we lodged a police complaint." He added that the temple was at least 40 metres from where the urination occurred.
When asked about the nature of the act, a police source said, "This is a matter of investigation." "The victim is saying he was made to lick the ground, while the accused was saying that he was not made to lick, but to touch it. A case has been registered against the accused, and he has been arrested," the source said.
The incident sparked a political row, with opposition parties attacking the BJP government.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav wrote on X, "Someone's mistake doesn't mean they should be punished with humiliating, inhumane punishment. Change alone will bring about a change!"
The Congress, in a post on X, said, "In Lucknow, an RSS worker forced an elderly Dalit man to lick his urine. The elderly man was sitting in a temple courtyard when, due to illness, he accidentally urinated."
"An enraged RSS worker rushed to the scene and, while hurling casteist slurs at him, forced him to lick the urine," the party claimed.
Police, however, clarified that the accused has no links to the RSS.
The Congress added, "This incident, which took place in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, is a blot on humanity. The perpetrators should receive the harshest punishment."
"This incident is a symbol of the RSS-BJP's anti-Dalit mentality. Hatred for Dalits runs in their blood. This is why they want to abolish the Constitution and implement 'Manuvaad' in the country, so that they can exploit people on the basis of caste," the party stated.
