Jharkhand: 2 Dalits thrashed, forced to lick spit & fined Rs 60,000 after being accused of killing goats

Raipur: In a deplorable incident, two youths belonging to the Dalit community were allegedly tied to a tree, brutally thrashed and forced to lick their spits after being accused of killing goats belonging to a person from Yadav community at Ghaghardiha village in Jharkhand’s Giridih district. Later, the youths were only let off after they paid Rs 60,000 to the goat owner as fine ordered by the village panchayat.

The affected youths have been identified as Parmanand Kumar Das and Shankar Kumar Das. Parmanand said that on Monday, some goats had ventured into their land, following which they tried to whisk them away. He added that the goat owners noticed them hitting and dragging out the goats.

Later, the owners allegedly killed the goats by slitting their throats, threw the carcasses in the field belonging to the Dalit youths and accused them of killing their animals. The following morning, the owners dragged the youths out of their houses and tied them to a tree. Then, they were thrashed in the village head’s presence by hundreds of people from Yadav community, according to a report by The New Indian Express.

Parmanand claimed that the accused were threatening them with death even after the payment of the fine. The accused allegedly thrashed the family members of the victims when they attempted to resolve the matter through mediation. “Parmanand and Shankar were being beaten before Mukhia and when I reached there, they also started beating me. The two were also made to lick their spit and imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 each,” the report quoted a family member as saying.

Village head Baleshwar Yadav dismissed the allegation that the youths were forced to lick their spits. He said that they were just tied to a tree and were later let off.

Based on the complaint filed by the two groups, police have lodged two FIRs in connection with the incident. Reportedly, the Dalit youths have named 18 people, including the village head, in their complaint. Giridih Superintendent of Police Amit Renu said that strict action will be taken against the culprits.