A Scheduled Caste man has alleged he was stripped and beaten up by a group of men belonging to dominant castes in Ghanghola village here for supporting the family of a gang-rape victim.
The police said no arrests had been made in the case so far.
A First Information Report was registered in connection with the attack, on charges of causing hurt, rioting and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act. Forty people have been named in the case.
Ajit Singh, the victim, said he was inside his school office when the accused, riding a dozen motorcycles and a couple of cars, reached there on July 11 around 2 p.m. and started beating him up.
“They punched me and hit me with rods and sticks. One of the accused, Kapil Pandat, hit me on the right eye and asked his accomplices to pull me out of the office. While they beat me up, Mukesh and others recorded the incident on a phone,” said Mr. Singh, in the FIR.
The accused then dragged him on to the street outside while beating him up and stripped him. The victim fell unconscious, and the accused eventually left, assuming he was dead.
The police were alerted and the victim was taken to hospital.
Mr. Singh alleged that a woman belonging to Scheduled Caste in his village was gang-raped earlier this month and he and his family stood by them. He said that men of a dominant caste held a meeting recently and decided to humiliate and beat up those who were helping the rape victim.
