A group of people allegedly assaulted a Dalit boy after accusing him of stealing footwear and made him wash them in public at Kondajji village in Hassan taluk of Karnataka on March 30.
The 15-year-old boy was returning home from school after appearing for his annual examination on March 29 afternoon when he noticed footwear on the road. As he stood there for a while, a couple of people stopped him and accused him of stealing the footwear. He was allegedly beaten up.
When his parents reached the spot after learning about the incident, the accused allegedly assaulted them too, according to the complaint. The family has named Revanasiddappa and his family members as accused.
The boy told mediapersons that he was falsely accused of stealing footwear and made to wash them in public. His father Ravi Kumar has alleged that the accused are ‘upper caste’ people, and his family was targeted because they belong to the Scheduled Caste. A case has been registered under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Hassan Deputy Superintendent of Police Uday Bhaskar visited the village on March 30. He told The Hindu that the case filed by the boy’s family had been registered. The accused had filed a counter-complaint alleging assault.
“We have begun the investigation. It is too early to comment on the case as of now,” he said.
This article first appeared on thehindu.com