Nine arrested for assaulting two Dalit men in Odisha’s Ganjam

Berhampur: Odisha Police Tuesday arrested nine people for allegedly assaulting and humiliating two Dalit men in Ganjam district.

According to Niti Shekhar, DIG southern range, the accused will be produced before a court soon.

Ganjam SP Suvendu Kumar Patra had said a case was registered, and the police detained at least nine persons in this case Monday.

Two Dalit men were tonsured, assaulted and forced to crawl on their knees and consume grass and drain water on suspicion of cattle smuggling.

The incident, which occurred at Jahada in Kharigumma village under Dharakote police station limits Sunday, triggered widespread outrage in political and social circles after purported videos of the assault went viral.

PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

The Congress Tuesday expressed anguish over the alleged torture of the two Dalit men on suspicion of cattle smuggling and constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.

In a social media post, opposition BJD claimed, “The people are becoming increasingly restless. The law and order are collapsing in Odisha.”

PTI

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