Cow vigilantes beat Dalit man and force him to eat dung
Six men face charges after allegedly assaulting Dalit cattle buyer in front of his young son, using caste slurs and accusing him of selling bull to Muslim butcher
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Police in western India have filed a case against six suspected Hindu cow vigilantes accused of assaulting a Dalit man and forcing cow dung into his mouth after accusing him of planning to sell a bull to a Muslim butcher.
The attack allegedly occurred May 23 in Jalna district in Maharashtra state but came to wider attention months later after a video of the assault circulated on social media, prompting the victim to approach police on Aug. 21.
Parameshwar Suhas Hiwale told police he was returning from a weekly cattle market in Deulgaon Raja with his 11-year-old son and an acquaintance, Narayan Maroti Kamble, after purchasing a bull when their vehicle was stopped in the Kanhaiyanagar area.
The men who stopped them claimed affiliation with the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal and cow-protection groups, according to Hiwale’s complaint.
They accused Hiwale of intending to sell the animal to a Muslim butcher. He denied the accusation and produced documents showing that he had purchased the bull at the cattle market.
The confrontation then allegedly took a casteist turn.
Hiwale said the men demanded to know his caste before abusing him with caste-based slurs and assaulting him. He alleged that his attackers then forcibly stuffed cow dung into his mouth.
The men also allegedly attempted to force dung into the mouth of Hiwale’s 11-year-old son, but Hiwale resisted.
Kamble, who was traveling with them, was also allegedly abused and beaten, while their vehicle was damaged.
Hiwale belongs to India’s Dalit community, historically placed at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy and subjected for centuries to discrimination and practices once associated with “untouchability.”
The alleged attackers recorded at least part of the assault and threatened Hiwale and his family with serious consequences if they went to police, according to his complaint.
Hiwale said those threats prevented him from immediately reporting the attack. He eventually approached Jalna Tehsil police after learning that footage of the incident had appeared on Instagram.
Police registered a case against six identified men under provisions of India’s criminal code covering offenses including wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt and unlawful assembly.
They also invoked the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a law intended to prosecute caste-based violence, intimidation and humiliation targeting members of historically marginalized communities.
Police Inspector Santosh Sable confirmed that a case had been registered, while Additional Superintendent of Police Vikram Sali said the investigation was being handled by a senior divisional police officer.
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