An elderly Dalit man was allegedly forced to lick the ground near a temple on the outskirts of Lucknow on Diwali after he was accused of urinating there, police said.
While the accused has been arrested, the 60-year-old Dalit man's grandson claimed his grandfather has breathing difficulties, and he had accidentally urinated while coughing.
According to police, the alleged incident occurred around 7 pm on Monday, and the accused has claimed that the Dalit man was only forced to touch the ground. The incident triggered a political slugfest, with opposition parties training their guns at the BJP.
In the complaint, Rampal Rawat said, "Yesterday evening, I was drinking water at Sheetla Maataa Mandir in the Kakori area of Lucknow, when Swami Kant accused me of urinating.
"I said that I have not urinated, and water has fallen there. But, he (Pammu) did not relent, and hurled casteist abuses at me. He threatened me and made me lick it," the complainant told police on Tuesday.
When contacted, Mukesh Kumar, the grandson of Rampal Rawat, told PTI, "My grandfather has breathing difficulties. If he does not take the prescribed medicines, he may not survive. Yesterday evening, he started coughing, and he accidentally urinated. After this, Pammu came there and started hurling casteist words at my grandfather."
Mukesh Kumar said that his grandfather got frightened, and when he was asked to lick, Rampal licked it. After this, the accused made Rampal wash the spot, he claimed.
"My grandfather did not tell anyone about the incident in the night. He narrated the incident today. Following this, we lodged a police complaint," the grandson said.
Mukesh Kumar also said that the main temple was at least 40 metres from the spot where his grandfather had accidentally urinated.
A case was registered against Swami Kant under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
When asked whether the Dalit man was actually made to lick the urine, a police source told PTI, "This is a matter of investigation."
"The victim is saying he was made to lick the ground, while the accused was saying that he was not made to lick, but to touch it. A case has been registered against the accused, and he has been arrested," the source said.
Taking note, opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh hit out at the BJP government in the state, terming the incident a "blot on humanity".
In a post in Hindi on X, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, "Someone's mistake doesn't mean they should be punished with humiliating, inhumane punishment. Change alone will bring about a change!" The Congress in an X post said, "In Lucknow, an RSS worker forced an elderly Dalit man to lick his urine. The elderly man was sitting in a temple courtyard when, due to illness, he accidentally urinated." "An enraged RSS worker rushed to the scene and, while hurling casteist slurs at him, forced him to lick the urine," the party claimed.
Police, however, said the accused has no links to the RSS.
The Congress went on to say, "This incident, which took place in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, is a blot on humanity. The perpetrators should receive the harshest punishment." "This incident is a symbol of the RSS-BJP's anti-Dalit mentality. Hatred for Dalits runs in their blood. This is why they want to abolish the Constitution and implement 'Manuvaad' in the country, so that they can exploit people on the basis of caste," the Congress added.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
