25-year-old mentally ill Dalit man beaten to death for touching food

In a horrific incident reported from Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, a 25-year-old Dalit man with an unspecified mental illness was beaten to death by two men from an upper caste for allegedly touching the food served at a private event.

The accused men, identified as Santosh Pal and Rohit Soni, had picked up 25-year-old Devraj Anuragi from Kishanpura village to help clean up after the party, which was organized by them. Anuragi had served himself some food at the event, which had irked the men. In a fit of rage, they began brutally beating him with a blunt stick. In their statement to the police, the victim’s family reportedly said, “Two persons Bhura Soni and Santosh Pal of the same village Kishanpur invited him for a party at a nearby field. After he returned home about 2 hours later, Anuragi narrated that he was beaten up by the two men, allegedly due to him touching their food.” According to the Chhatarpur police, the men had invited Anuragi to the party on the night of December 7, and the victim had reluctantly agreed to go along with them.

“The three were friends known to each other and were drunk while on their outing, during which a fight broke out over food and the two attacked Anuragi. What exactly transpired will only come to light after the two people are traced,” said Sachin Sharma, Chhatarpur Superintendent of Police, as quoted by a news agency. Santosh Pal and Rohit Soni are currently on the run. Based on the victim’s family’s statement, an FIR has been registered against the accused under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code as well as the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.