UP: Dalit Minor Boy Allegedly Thrashed For Touching Balloons In A Temple, Dies

A 12-year-old Dalit boy was brutally beaten up on September 4 by a group of five minors from the same village for allegedly touching balloons used as decorations in Chamanda temple in Nadroi village of Aligarh on the occasion of Janmashtami. Reportedly, a case has been registered, and five minors have been booked.

Thrashed for touching balloons

According to the Times of India, on Tuesday, when the two groups of children were in the temple, a scuffle broke out among them. As per the victim’s friend Suraj who was present at the spot, five kids, who were almost of the same age objected to the Dalit boy’s touching of the balloon. As soon as the balloon burst, the boys allegedly started mercilessly beating Suraj’s friend. He said, he got scared and ran to call for help.

“One of them held his arms, and two of them tightly held his legs, and the other two started punching him in his stomach. I immediately ran to his house and informed his mother,” said Suraj.

While speaking to the Times of India, the victim’s cousin brother, Chandrapal said, as soon as victim’s mother, Savitri Devi, got the news of her boy being trashed by some kids, she immediately rushed to towards the temple. When Savitri reached the temple gate, she found her son lying there.

Savitri then took him home and informed the village Pradhan, Shyam Sunder Upadhyaya about the incident, Chandrapal added. Reportedly, the village Pradhan did not take the issue seriously and turned a deaf ear to the mother’s plea.

His health deteriorated

On the same night, the victim complained of a severe stomach ache at around 2:30 am. “Later in the night his mother took him to the local doctor, but he got no relief there. Then we went to another doctor at 4 pm, who referred him to the district hospital, “ added Chandrapal.

On Wednesday, as the health of the kid was deteriorated, the family got the kid admitted to Aligarh district hospital. Past noon, at around 12:30 pm, the boy breathed his last breath, reports the Times Of India.

Police’s response

A case has been registered against the five minor children under section 304 A for culpable homicide under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the SC/ST Act.

SP (crime) Ashutosh Dwivedi, told Times of India, that the matter is being investigated. He also mentioned that a postmortem has been done while the report is still awaited.

Savitri, who is daily wage labour, is a widow and had lost her husband eight years ago. She has survived by a daughter and three sons, and the victim was the youngest one in the family. She is the sole breadwinner for her family.

Another case

Earlier this year, in Muzaffarnagar, western Uttar Pradesh a Dalit youth was beaten up with sticks by three men. The attackers hurled abuses, kicked him and forced him to chant ‘Jai Mata Di’, claiming he had insulted gods, reports The Indian Express.

Yogi Adityanath says there is a dip in crime in UP

In July 2018, Chief Minister Adityanath said that the “eagerness” being shown by big firms to invest in Uttar Pradesh, indicated that the crime situation has improved in the state. However, many NGO and activists differ from the CM’s claim.

Vandana Misra, general secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (UP unit), claimed that the crime situation has worsened and atrocities against Dalits and Muslims are increasing. “Even crime against women has increased,” she argued as reported by NDTV.

Also Read: “They Asked Him What His Caste Was And Then Arrested Him” Brother Of 14-Year-Old Dalit Boy Recalls