Haryana: 32-year-old Dalit worker hung in well, thrashed over motor theft suspicion

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A 32-year-old man from a Scheduled Caste community was allegedly beaten up and hung upside down in a well by a group of upper caste men in Haryana’s Hansi district on suspicion of stealing a motor pump from an agricultural field, police said on Friday.

The victim, Baru, a resident of Sorkhi village, works as a steel gate and door fabricator. In his statement to police, he said the assault took place on June 1 around 12.30 p.m. while he was travelling from Sorkhi to Bhatol village.

Hansi Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar said an investigation was under way while efforts were on to identify the accused and check the veracity of the viral video of the incident.

According to the FIR, Mr. Baru had stopped near the fields of one Surendra after suffering stomach pain and loose motion. After going into the farmland, he was confronted by Deepak, Pawan, Joga, a veterinarian; Pawan Mandasa, Surendra along with a few other unidentified men who were all residents of Sorkhi.

The group allegedly accused him of stealing a motor pump, then beat him with sticks, and also resorted to kicks and punches. Mr. Baru alleged that Surendra recorded a video on his mobile phone as the men tied him with a rope, hung him upside down in a well, and tried to force a confession. He said they threatened to kill him if he reported the incident. Fearing for his life, Mr. Baru did not disclose the assault initially.

On June 4, he approached the Civil Hospital in Hansi due to severe pain and was admitted by the doctors. He gave his statement to police on June 5. Based on his complaint, a case has been registered at Bas police station on charges of attempt to murder, wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and offences under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.