UP: Dalit man held captive, tortured by 4 on suspicion of having affair with their kin

A 22-year-old Dalit man was allegedly held captive and tortured by four people in Lakhimpur Kheri on the suspicion that he was having an affair with a girl of their family, police said on Friday.

The man’s family members had claimed that an iron rod was also inserted in his rectum, but Circle Officer Pradeep Kumar Verma, who is investigating the case, denied the charge, saying the medical examination and probe so far indicate that it was not true.

The accused have been arrested and the victim is under treatment at the district hospital. His condition is reportedly serious, police said.

On Wednesday night, the Dalit man was mercilessly beaten up by the accused, causing injuries to his private parts, according to police.

Tikonia Station House Officer Gyan Prakash Tiwari said, “On the complaint by the victim’s brother, an FIR was registered against four persons.”

They have been charged under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and provisions under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he added.

They had suspected that the man was having an affair with their kin, Tiwari said. “All the four accused, Bramhadeen and his three sons Bharat, Gajraj and Raju, have been arrested,” he added.