A case of assault on a Dalit student took place in Westpara police station area of Kanpur Sen on Friday. Some students allegedly attacked him outside Inter Academy and forced him to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. The incident took place when the victim student displayed Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar’s status on his WhatsApp status.
The victim student said that he and his family are Buddhists and he often shares Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s thoughts and posts on social media. A group of middle school and high school students stopped him after school on Friday and forced him to raise “Jai Shri Ram” slogans. When he refused, he suffered caste-based abuse and beatings.
Dalit student raises slogans of Jai Shri Ram after beating him
Not only that, the accused also recorded a video of the incident and it went viral on social media. The victim student went to the police station with his family to report the incident on Sunday. The police have launched an investigation into the case, and the accused students said that the victim students often posted against Sanatan Dharma, which they objected to. However, he denied the attack.
After receiving a report from the victim, the police registered a case and launched an investigation.
Dalit groups also reacted strongly to the incident. Dalit organization president Dhaniram Panther said strict action should be taken in the matter, failing which they will organize a mass movement. Joint Commissioner Harishchandra said a case has been registered and the victim’s medical examination has been completed. He also said that all the accused are minors and medical reports have not confirmed the attack but the matter is under investigation.