Forced to lick spit off floor for son marrying Muslim girl, says Dalit man in UP’s Bulandshahr

A Dalit man was allegedly forced to spit and then lick it off the floor during a panchayat meeting as a punishment because his son married a Muslim girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr.

The youth had eloped with a Muslim girl and tied the knot against the wishes of her family in Khurja area of Bulandshahr. Police arrested the girl’s father along with another villager and conducted raids to arrest those allegedly involved in the crime.

“We have arrested two persons and investigation is underway to arrest the other accused who attended the panchayat,” said Raees Akhtar, SP (rural), Bulandshahr.

Akhtar said the victim had filed a complaint on Saturday and a case was registered against the girl’s family members and other villagers who participated in the panchayat. The incident occurred four days ago when angry family members of the girl convened a panchayat to discuss the marriage. They called the youth’s father and allegedly insulted him.

The panchayat even suggested that the Dalit man and his family should leave the village, said sources. But later, it was decided to humiliate him for the “misdeed of his son”. The panchayat allegedly forced the Dalit man to spit and then lick it in public.

The scared couple (in their twenties) didn’t return to the village after registering their marriage in court. At present, they are residing in Noida, police said.