Bihar Dalit man assaulted, urinated and spat on for asking his wages

Police lodge FIR under BNS, SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act; victim receives death threats after filing complaint; investigations prima facie confirm assault, casteist slur, but no evidence of spitting and urinating, police say

Three members of a family in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district allegedly urinated and spat on Dalit worker Rinku Manjhi, assaulting him and using a casteist slur against him when he asked them for his daily wages.

The victim has filed a complaint accusing Ramesh Patel, Arun Patel and Gaurav Patel of assaulting him on October 4, on the basis of which the police lodged an FIR at Bochaha police station on Tuesday (October 8, 2024).

In his complaint, Mr. Manjhi said that the accused had recently built a poultry farm where he had worked for several days. His wages for two days were withheld. When he went to ask for his pay amid the Durga Puja celebration, the three Patels allegedly beat him up. After spitting on his face, Mr. Gaurav Patel also urinated on Mr. Manjhi.

Death threats

According to local villagers, all three assaulted him. They added that after he filed the complaint, Mr. Manjhi also received death threats. The police have started conducting raids to nab the culprits. However, no arrest has been made in the case so far.

“We have received one such case where victim Rinku Manjhi who is a daily wage labourer used to work at the farm of Ramesh Patel. Bochaha police station got the information on October 8, however the incident took place on October 4. Police have registered the matter with case number 291/24, date 08-10-24. Investigation is being carried out in the case and prima facie reveals that casteist slur was made by Ramesh Patel and he also beat him up. Further investigation is going on,“ Vidya Sagar, the Superintendent of Police for rural Muzaffarpur, told journalists on Wednesday (October 9, 2024).

However, Bochaha Station House Officer Rakesh Kumar Yadav told The Hindu that there is no evidence so far of anyone spitting or urinating on the victim.

FIR filed

The FIR has been filed under Sections 324 (wrongful loss or damage), 307 (theft after preparing for causing death, hurt, restraint), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as several sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

In August, a minor Dalit girl was brutally murdered in Gopalpur village of Muzaffarpur district, less than 50 km away from Bochaha.

Published - October 09, 2024 08:23 pm IST