Dalit man succumbs to injuries after being beaten up at a wedding reception in Uttarakhand for eating with upper caste men

New Tehri: A 23-year-old Dalit man succumbed to injuries on Sunday, days after he was allegedly beaten up by some upper caste people for eating in front of them at a wedding reception in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district, police said.

Jeetendra, a Dalit, was thrashed by the upper caste men who lost their temper as they found him eating in front of them “despite being from a lower caste”, DSP Uttam Singh Jimwal said. The incident took place on 26 April at a wedding reception in Shrikot village of the district, he said.

Jeetendra was critically injured and died at a hospital in Dehradun after nine days of treatment, the DSP said. On the basis of a police complaint filed by Jeetendra’s sister, a case was registered against seven persons — Gajendra Singh, Soban Singh, Kushal Singh, Gabbar Singh, Gambhir Singh, Harbir Singh and Hukum Singh — under the SC/ST Act, the DSP said. Further action will be taken after the post-mortem report arrives, he said.