Dalit man in India assaulted and urinated on in latest caste atrocity
Police charge four upper-caste men, including village head, as brutality against marginalized communities exposes persistence of caste apartheid in India
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Police in central India have filed charges against four men, including a local elected official, after a Dalit man — a member of India’s most oppressed caste — alleged that he was beaten, urinated on, and subjected to caste-based insults over a dispute linked to a village construction project.
The assault reportedly occurred on October 13 in Matwara village, located in the state of Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district. The victim, identified as Rajkumar Chaudhary, said he was attacked when he objected to the use of illegally mined gravel near his farmland for the construction of a government building.
According to officials cited by local media, the accused include the village head, or sarpanch, Ramanuj Pandey, and three others — Ram Bihari Pandey, Pawan Pandey, and Satish Pandey.
Police said the case has been registered under India’s newly introduced penal code Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a special law enacted to curb caste-based violence.
“The complainant alleged that when he protested against the illegal mining, he was assaulted and humiliated in public view,” said Santosh Dehariya, Additional Superintendent of Police for Katni district. Authorities are collecting witness statements and searching for the accused, who reportedly fled the scene after the incident.
Police confirmed that the village council head also filed a counter-complaint against Chaudhary, alleging verbal abuse and threats on the same day. Chaudhary first sought medical attention at the district hospital before lodging his formal complaint.
Human rights advocates say the case exposes how caste hierarchies continue to influence everyday power dynamics in India’s villages, particularly when Dalits challenge local elites. Despite constitutional protections, caste-based assaults and public humiliations remain frequent, with most victims struggling to access justice.
The attack has drawn comparisons to a similar 2023 incident in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district, where a video showing a man urinating on a tribal youth sparked nationwide outrage and led to the demolition of the perpetrator’s property.
Dalits, who occupy the lowest position in India’s Hindu caste system, have historically faced systemic exclusion and violence, especially in rural areas where social and political power is tightly controlled by upper-caste landowners.
Caste-related crimes in India have shown a persistent upward trend, with more than 60,000 cases registered under the Atrocities Act in 2023 alone, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
Analysts say the pattern reflects both deep-seated discrimination and a growing willingness among marginalized communities to report abuses.
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