Karnataka: Dalit man beaten up by banana planters dies

TUMAKURU: A 35-year-old Dalit man on Monday succumbed to the injuries he sustained after he was accused of stealing plantains and allegedly beaten up by owners of a banana plantation in ID Halli of Madhugiri taluk, Tumakuru district.
According to police, Purushotham Prasad was accused of stealing plantains and allegedly caught by owners of the plantation - Ramachandrappa, Vishwanath Reddy and Balaji Reddy - on September 29. The trio and their workers thrashed him and later took him to Kodigenahalli police station. Police warned him before letting him off. An upset Purushotham did not reveal anything to his family members. He had studied till PU and worked with a contractor erecting electrical poles.
Though his father Basappa asked why he was upset, Purushottam did not tell him anything. On October 15, he complained of swelling and pain in his private parts. His father took him to a doctor at ID Halli. The doctor told him to go to Madhugiri taluk government hospital as he had sustained injuries on his private parts.
Basappa said: "After much questioning, he told me that Ramachandrappa, Vishwanath Reddy and Balaji Reddy had accused him of stealing plantains from their plantation and he was beaten up by them."
Purushotham was immediately taken to Madhugiri hospital, where he was referred to Tumakuru district government hospital. He succumbed on Monday. Kodigenahalli police have registered a murder case. While Balaji Reddy was arrested on Tuesday, the other two accused are absconding.