In an outrageous incident reported from Karnataka, a Dalit man was beaten with sticks and stripped naked by a group of people in the Vijayapura district merely because he touched the two-wheeler of an upper caste man.

The video of the incident which happened on Saturday went viral across social media and has invited the indignation of people. The 28-year-old victim, identified as Kashinath Talwar, is a daily wage worker from the Minajgi village of Talikoti. He was on his way to work with his father when the alleged incident happened. In his complaint with the police, the boy's father stated, "A group of villagers trashed my son accusing him of merely touching a motorcycle that was owned by an upper-caste person, which was parked near Chennamma Circle. The people also assaulted me and my son’s wife and his daughter when we tried to rescue him from beating. The men used offensive words against our caste and threatened to set our community houses on fire." According to a report by a news agency, the police mentioned, "After the complaint of family members, we have booked the cases under the SC/ST Atrocities Act. We have identified at least 12 people that thrashed the 28-year-old. Special teams have been formed to nab the accused."

The accused men have been booked under sections 143,147, 149, 324, 354, 504, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST Act. The police have reportedly mentioned that the investigation of the matter is currently underway and that it is too early to comment on the issue.

Here is the FIR and complaint copy pic.twitter.com/WaPHALMhXw

— The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) July 19, 2020