By MOUNIKA SHARON VORAGANTI
A tragic incident took place in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh where a 14-year-old Dalit boy was allegedly beaten up by locals in his village. The boy was accused of harassing the girl in the village, . His attackers forced him to drink water, and he ate it and blinded himself.
When the boy’s father tried to lodge a complaint with the Sujanganj police, his efforts initially failed. The FIR was registered after meeting Jaunpur SP Ajaypal Sharma. The police registered an FIR against two villagers under various sections of IPC and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Castes Act. However, a preliminary police investigation suggested that the boy’s claim that he had been forced to drink water may not have been true. The investigation revealed that the boy was beaten by two men who suspected he had made derogatory remarks about a minor in their family.
In a twist, the persons accused of assaulting the boy filed a case against him under IPC Section 354 (outrageous insult) for assaulting a girl in his family rape. The boy was also medically examined to assess his injuries and determine if he was a minor.
The case highlights the complexity of race-based violence and the challenges of administering justice, especially given the delay in police action and ongoing investigations with case records expected to clarify the situation because of the size.
