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Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Odisha: 8 arrested for assault of 2 Dalit men over suspicion cow smuggling
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha police arrested eight people on Tuesday in connection with the brutal attack on two Dalit men, accusing them of cattle smuggling, two days ago. Polcie said the main accused Raja Samal is still evading arrest. (Representational image) The two Dalit men were allegedly tonsured, assaulted and forced to crawl on their knees and consume grass and drain water. Police officials in Ganjam said they have identified all the people responsible for the assault of two Dalit men, 59-year-old Babula Nayak, and his cousin brother Bulu Nayak, 54, at the hands of a mob in Jahada of Kharigumma village under Dharakote police station limits on Sunday. 'While the main accused Raja Samal is still evading arrest, we have managed to arrest eight persons who assaulted the Dalit men pretending to be cow vigilantes, made them kneel on ground, move on knees and hands, biting grass, drinking sewage water and tonsured their heads partially. The primary motive was not cow protection or anything like that, but extortion. It seems they were influenced by social media videos and wanted to make quick money,' said Ganjam superintendent of police (SP) Subhendu Patra. Police said based on the report of the victims, a first information report (FIR) has been registered under sections 296/ 126(2)/ 115(2)/ 303(2)/ 508(2)/ 356(2)/ 3(5) BNS read with 3(1)(r)/ (s)/ 3(2) (va) SC&ST (POA) Act 1989. Incidentally, one of the accused is a Dalit man. Those who were arrested are Sibasankar Mohanty, Satya Sahu, Bainath Bisoyi, Omm Gouda, Ganapati Polei, Santosh Dakua, Sankar Das and Narayan Dakua. All the accused persons were forwarded to a court on Tuesday. Police said the mob led by Raja Samal demanded ₹ 30,000 from the duo and when they refused, they were assaulted and humiliated– such as forcing them to crawl on their knees for over a kilometre. A video of the incident went viral on Monday. According to the victims, the cattle were meant as a traditional gift for the wedding of Babula's daughter. Following outrage on social media, Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das on Tuesday sent a five-member panel headed by its legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam to investigate the matter. 'The incident shows how Dalits are facing the heat in Odisha after the BJP government took charge. The law and order situation has completely deteriorated in Odisha,' alleged Ramchandra Kadam. In a post on X, opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said, 'People are becoming increasingly restless. The law and order are collapsing in Odisha.' Ganjam District Dalit Mahasangha president Sangram Nahak, who accompanied the victims to the SP's office on Tuesday, said the accused in the name of cow vigilantism wee actually extorting money.
Scroll.in
13 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Odisha: Two Dalit men allegedly assaulted, tonsured after being accused of cow smuggling
Two Dalit men in Odisha's Ganjam district were allegedly assaulted and tonsured on Sunday by a group that accused them of cow smuggling, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday. Six persons were detained in connection with the case on Monday, Ganjam Superintendent of Police Suvendu Kumar Patra told PTI. The men, Babula Nayak (54) and Bulu Nayak (42), were transporting two cows and a calf in an auto when they were accosted by a group of 'cow-protectors' in Kharigumma village, the news agency quoted an unidentified police official as saying. The group allegedly accused the men of smuggling cattle and demanded Rs 30,000 from them. When they refused, they were assaulted, forced to crawl, consume grass and drain water, the official added. The group also took the mobile phones of the two men and Rs 700 cash, The Indian Express reported. The police have filed a case based on a complaint by the men who were assaulted, Chandrika Swain, inspector at the Dharakote police station in Ganjam, told The Indian Express.
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
2 Dalit Men Forced To Crawl, Eat Grass Over Cattle Smuggling Suspicion: Odisha Police
Berhampur (Odisha): Two Dalit men in Odisha's Ganjam district were half-tonsured, assaulted and forced to crawl on their knees, made to consume grass and drink drain water on suspicion of cattle smuggling, police claimed on Monday. The incident, which occurred at Jahada in Kharigumma village under Dharakote police station limits on Sunday, has triggered widespread outrage in political and social circles after purported videos of the assault went viral. 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 them of smuggling cattle, police said. The mob allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 from the duo. When the victims refused, they were physically assaulted and subjected to degrading treatment, police added. "They were taken to a salon and their heads were half-tonsured," a police officer said. "They were then forced to crawl on their knees for over a kilometre, fed grass and made to drink drain water," the officer added. 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 Babula's daughter's wedding. Police on Monday detained six persons for allegedly assaulting and partially tonsuring the heads of the duo. Ganjam SP Suvendu Kumar Patra said a case was registered, and police detained at least six persons in this case. "Search was on to nab other persons involved in the case," the SP said, adding that the victims have undergone treatment at the Dharakote community health centre. Preliminary investigations suggest that the attackers' motive was not animal protection but extortion, police said. Authorities are also verifying the purpose of the cattle transport, although the victims claimed they were for personal use related to a wedding ceremony. Sangram Nayak, convenor of the Ganjam District Dalit Mahasangh, said: "We condemn this brutal caste-based violence. A statewide agitation will be launched demanding justice and stringent action against the perpetrators." Taking to X, former PCC chief Niranjan Patnaik said, "It breaks my heart to even write this. Two young Dalit men in Ganjam district were humiliated and tortured—heads half-shaved, forced to crawl 2 km, made to eat grass and drink sewage water. And for what? Just for buying a cow for their daughter's wedding. Hate has been normalised. Caste violence is rising. And in Odisha, justice feels distant, almost invisible. Why is our Chief Minister @MohanMOdisha silent?'
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Cops detain 6 for assaulting 2 dalits over cattle smuggling suspicion
Berhampur: Police on Monday detained six persons for allegedly assaulting and partially tonsuring the heads of two dalit persons, suspecting them to be cattle smugglers near Jahada under Ganjam district's Dharakote police limits on Sunday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The victims were identified as Babula Nayak (45) and Bulu Nayak (35) of Singipur. The victims were travelling in an auto-rickhshaw with two cows and a calf from Haripur to Singipur when a group of youths detained them at Khariguma village, accusing them of being cow smugglers. They demanded Rs 30,000 from them. When the victims did not pay, the accused assaulted them and partially shaved their heads. The accused also forced them to crawl on their knees for over one km from Kharigumma to Jahada and allegedly made them eat grass and drink drain water. The video of them crawling on their knees on the road went viral on social media. After escaping from their clutches, the victims lodged an FIR against the accused at Dharakote police station on Sunday evening. "A search is on to nab other persons involved in the case. The victims underwent treatment at the community health centre at Dharakote," said SP (Ganjam) Suvendu Kumar Patra. The accused persons, however, did not attack the vehicle driver, sources said. Citing preliminary investigation, police said the main intention of the accused was likely extortion in the name of cow smuggling. Police said they would also investigate the exact purpose of the transportation of cattle by the victims, even though they procured the animals for their personal use.
