Dalit teenagers brutally tortured in Chhattisgarh ice cream factory over wage demand; Five arrested
Korba, Chhattisgarh: Two Dalit teenagers were subjected to inhuman torture in Korba district of Chhattisgarh, allegedly by the owner of an ice cream factory and his associates, after they demanded their pending wages. The incident, which took place under the Civil Lines police station limits, has triggered outrage after a disturbing video of the assault went viral on social media.
The victims, identified as Abhishek and Vinod Bhambi (18), hail from Bhilwara district of Rajasthan. They had been working at the factory for two months after being promised a monthly salary of ₹10,000. According to the police, they were hired through a contractor to work at the factory owned by one Chhotu Gurjar in the Khaprabhatti area.
In their complaint, the teenagers alleged that when they asked for their pending wages, they were subjected to brutal torture. The accused reportedly stripped them, beat them severely, pulled out their nails and private parts using pliers, and gave them electric shocks. Throughout the ordeal, they were verbally abused with casteist slurs. A video shot by one of the accused shows a semi-nude man pleading for mercy while being beaten and electrocuted.
The victims somehow managed to escape and reached back to Bhilwara, where they filed a complaint. Rajasthan Police registered a zero FIR and forwarded the case to Korba Police for investigation. Korba SP Siddharth Tewari said that the FIR was received around 9 am on Friday, and within hours, five of the accused seen in the video were arrested.
"Two of those arrested are believed to be the factory owners, and the rest are their associates. One of the accused is a minor. All of them will be produced before the court," the SP said.
A case has been registered at the Civil Lines police station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 308(2) (extortion), along with provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, particularly Section 3(2)(v-a), which deals with crimes committed against Scheduled Castes with knowledge of their identity.
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights activists. Bhanwar Meghwanshi, President of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties in Rajasthan, highlighted the timing of the incident, noting that it took place on the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
"While garlands were being offered to Baba Saheb’s pictures, Dalit youths were being stripped and tortured — is this the 'New India'? Why are the governments of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan silent?" he wrote on social media platform X, calling the incident a case of “caste-based terror.”
Suresh Meghwanshi, a journalist and Bhim Army activist, warned that if the government fails to provide immediate justice and compensation to the victims, the organisation will be forced to launch a protest.
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Drug peddler's property worth Rs 1 crore attached in Srinagar
Srinagar (PTI): Property worth Rs 1 crore belonging to a notorious drug peddler was on Saturday attached in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, police said.
A double-storey house on eight marlas of land situated at Wantpora Eidgah, belonging to Basit Bilal Dar, a notorious drug peddler, valued at approximately Rs 1 crore, a police spokesperson said.
He said Dar is involved in two cases registered under various sections of the NDPS Act.
During investigation, it was established that the accused had acquired the said property through illicit proceeds generated from drug trafficking activities, the spokesperson said.
Consequently, the property was attached under the provisions of the NDPS Act. The attachment proceedings were conducted in the presence of the two independent witnesses, strictly in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures, he said.
As per the attachment order, the owner has been restrained from selling, leasing, transferring, altering, or creating any third-party interest in the property till further orders, the spokesperson added.
