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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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
