Dalit youth assaulted during religious festivals in Chhattisgarh, police fail to invoke SC/ST Act
Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh): Two Dalit youth, including a minor, were brutally beaten in Bilaspur district on consecutive nights of October 19 and 20. The incidents occurred during Hindu religious festivities in Mahmand and Bharda villages, both within the Torwa police station's jurisdiction.
The first assault occurred on October 19, as reported by Madhyamam on Monday. 16-year-old Ashutosh Barle, a Massorie Shishu Mandir Bhawan student, had gone to a Kali Mata Puja event in his hometown during his school holiday. He was verbally abused by Pradeep Maharaj using casteist remarks. According to eyewitnesses, Pradeep was joined by Deepeshwar and Rahul, who began beating Ashutosh with fists and rods until he lost consciousness.
A local resident alerted his mother, Sarita. She rushed to the spot and took him home. The assailants reportedly followed them and pelted stones at their house. They forced the family to lock themselves inside for safety. Activist Sanjeet Barman later alleged that the police failed to document the incident accurately when the family approached them.
The following evening, during the Laxmi Utsav celebrations, a similar attack was reported in Bharda village. Amit Yadav questioned twenty-year-old Dalit Lokesh Kumar Jangde about his attendance at the public function. Lokesh, who is a farmer and part-time driver, was verbally abused using caste-based slurs. According to witnesses, Amit and others, identified as Roshan and Shiva Yadav, took him from the pandal and assaulted him.
While the police said a First Information Report (FIR) was filed, residents and activists said that the police did not use parts of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989, allowing the victims an enhanced safety and faster trials.
Activist Barman accused officers at the Torwa police station of mishandling both complaints. He claimed they intimidated the victims’ families and accused the minor of intruding into a “higher-caste festival,” an act he termed as victim-blaming. He further noted that in Ashutosh’s case, provisions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were also omitted. “The police must apply the correct legal provisions and ensure justice for both victims,” Barman said.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
