PATIALA: Four persons including the Sarpanch of Bhasaur village of Sangrur have been booked under various sections of IPC, SC/ST Act and Juvenile Justice Act for allegedly forcing three Dalit children to walk few kilometres with their hands tied after they were caught in a theft case.
The incident allegedly took place a week ago when some villagers of Banbauri village in Sangrur had caught four minor Dalits for allegedly stealing Rs 250 to 300 from a tomb in Banbauri village. The minor boys, all 13 years old, hailed from Bhasaur village which is around four kilometres away from Banbauri village.
According to the complaint, the villagers of Banbauri village informed the village Panchayat of Bhasaur village to take away the boys who had committed alleged theft in the tomb. The complainant, who is father of one of the minor boys, told the police that all three minor boys were beaten up and later their hands were tied. He further said that humiliation did not end here as the village Panchayat members along with some others forced the minor boys to walk to their Bhasaur with their hands tied back to the two-wheeler.
A video of three minor boys being forced to walk in this manner also went viral over social media on Sunday.
Meanwhile Punjab Child Rights Protection Commission (PCRPC) has also taken a suo moto and asked Sangrur police to initiate quick action.
Station House Officer (SHO), Sadar Sangrur police station, Deepinderpal Singh said, “The case has been registered against the accused including Sarpanch Gurnam Singh, Mohinder Singh Fauji, Sunil Bansal and Harjinder Raju of Bhasaur village however no arrests have been made. The accused are booked under sections 323, 341, 342, 499, 500 and 34 of Indian Penal Code and sections 3 (2, 5) of SC and ST Act and section 75 of Juvenile Justice Act.”