Congress expresses anguish over ''torture'' of two Dalit men in Odisha, forms panel to conduct probe
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday expressed anguish over the alleged torture of two Dalit men on suspicion of cattle smuggling in Odisha's Ganjam district and constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.
The two Dalit men were allegedly tonsured, assaulted and forced to crawl on their knees and consume grass and drain water on suspicion of cattle smuggling, the police said, adding that nine people have been detained in connection with the incident.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das on Monday night formed a five-member panel headed by its legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam to investigate the matter.
Other members of the panel are OPCC vice resident Lalatendu Mohapatra, MLA Ramesh Jena, its general secretary Subarna Nayak and secretary Tuleswar Nayak.
The incident occurred at Jahada in Kharigumma village under Dharakote Police Station limits on Sunday.
"The committee has been asked to visit the village, engage directly with the victims, and submit an immediate report to the Pradesh Congress," a party leader said.
A purported video of the incident went viral, triggering widespread criticism in the political sphere. PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The victims — Babula Nayak (54) and Bulu Nayak (42) of Singipur — were transporting two cows and a calf in an auto from Hariour to their village when they were caught by a group of self-proclaimed 'cow protectors' at Kharigumma, accusing the two of smuggling cattle, police said.
"The mob allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 from the duo. When the victims refused, they were assaulted and subjected to degrading treatment. They were taken to a salon and their heads were tonsured partly. They were then forced to crawl on their knees for over a kilometre, fed grass and made to drink drain water," a police officer said.
After managing to flee from the clutches of the mob, the victims lodged an FIR against the accused at Dharakote Police Station on Sunday evening.
According to the victims, the cattle were meant as a traditional gift for the wedding of Babula’s daughter.
The police have detained nine people for allegedly assaulting and partially tonsuring the heads of the two Dalit men, the officer said.
Ganjam SP Suvendu Kumar Patra said a case was registered under various sections of the BNS and SC/ST Act.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the attackers' motive was not animal protection but extortion, the police said.
“Investigation is underway and stern action will be taken to ensure swift justice,” the SP said.
In a social media post, opposition BJD said, “The people are becoming increasingly restless. The law and order are collapsing in Odisha.”
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Our relationship with both India and Pakistan is 'good': US
New York/Washington (PTI): America’s relationship with both India and Pakistan is “good”, the US State Department has said, asserting that the diplomats are "committed to both nations".
Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the US working with both nations is good news for the region and the world, and will promote a beneficial future.
“I would say that our relationship with both nations is as it has been, which is good. And that is the benefit of having a President who knows everyone, talks to everyone, and that is how we can bring differences together in this case. So it's clear that the diplomats here are committed to both nations,” Bruce said.
She was responding to a question on the possibility of increased US assistance to Islamabad in terms of arms sales following Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s meeting with Trump, and whether this was coming at the cost of Trump's relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Referring to the May conflict between India and Pakistan, Bruce added, “Obviously, we had an experience with Pakistan and India when there was a conflict, one that could have developed into something quite horrible.”
She said that there was "immediate concern and immediate movement" with Vice President J D Vance, President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in “addressing the nature of what was happening….we described the nature of the phone calls, the work that we did to stop the attacks and to then bring the parties together so we could have something that was enduring."
She also claimed that top leaders in the US were involved in “stopping that potential catastrophe.”
New Delhi has been maintaining that India and Pakistan halted their military actions following direct talks between their militaries without any mediation by the US.
Bruce added that the recent peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan “follows negotiated peace arrangements between Cambodia and Thailand, Israel and Iran, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India and Pakistan, Egypt and Ethiopia and Serbia and Kosovo.”
Meanwhile, in an interview on Tuesday, Rubio said that “credit goes to” Trump for helping bring several conflicts around the world to an end.
Trump says he wants “to be the President of peace. And so any time we see a conflict where we think we can make a difference, we get involved, and we’ve had good success in that regard. India-Pakistan, Thailand-Cambodia, the peace deal with Azerbaijan and Armenia, just a few days ago,” he said in an interview with ‘Sid and Friends in the Morning’.
