Haryana Hisar Dalit Man Tortured Well Theft Suspicion Sc St Act

A 32-year-old Dalit man was allegedly hung upside down inside a well and beaten by villagers on suspicion of stealing a water-pump motor in Haryana’s Hisar district, prompting police to register a case against five named persons and several unidentified individuals.

The incident took place on June 1 in Sorkhi village near Hansi, but came to light after a purported video of the incident, showing the man tied with ropes and suspended upside down inside a well, went viral on social media. Acting on the complaint of the victim, identified as Baru, police registered an FIR on Thursday.

In the video, villagers can allegedly be seen questioning the man while he appears to be crying out in distress.

Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar, in-charge of the Sorkhi police post, said Baru was admitted to the Hansi Government Hospital on the evening of June 4. He added that Deputy Superintendent of Police (Crime) Ravinder Sangwan is investigating the case.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 109(1) (attempt to murder), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 3(5) (common intention) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

In his complaint, Baru alleged that he was suffering from diarrhoea and had gone out to relieve himself when a villager raised an alarm, accusing him of being a thief.

“I stopped and told them there was no need to catch me as I was not going to run away. But more villagers gathered and began beating me, accusing me of stealing a water motor,” he alleged.

Baru said he repeatedly denied the accusation and offered to accompany the villagers to a police station if they suspected him of theft. According to the complaint, some of the villagers refused, saying there was no point taking him to the police as he would soon be released.

He alleged that one of them suggested punishing him on the spot. “They tied my legs with a rope and hung me upside down inside a well. I was eventually forced to admit to the allegation,” he said.

The villagers, however, maintained that Baru had been caught on suspicion of stealing a motor. They claimed that a series of water-motor thefts in the area in recent days had caused concern among local farmers.

Police said the allegations and the circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated. No arrests had been reported till the filing of this report.

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