In shocking case of caste violence, upper caste men urinate in mouth of Dalit youth

At a time when the country is realising the need for sensitisation on equality in terms of gender, religion and caste, a horrific story of discrimination against Dalits in Tamil Nadu is a reminder that India has a long way to go to ensure equality for all its citizens. In a gross violation of human rights and in a display of caste violence at its crudest and most disgusting, upper caste Hindu men reportedly urinated in the mouth of a Dalit youth after attacking him. The incident had taken place at Karuvanur in the Krishnagiri district of TN on 2 March,. [caption id=“attachment_2162483” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] According to reports 20-year-old M Aravindhan who works as a welder in a private company in Bangalore had gone to his native village when the incident occured. The Times of India quotes him as saying , “I went to the temple with my relative R Dinesh (20). Some caste Hindus used filthy words against us when they saw us.” When the two retaliated, the group of men took them to a nearby toilet and mercilessly beat them up. Reportedly Aravindhan fell to the floor and asked for water, prompting the men urinated in his mouth. While a complaint was registered with the Kallav Police, they only lodged one of assault and not under the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act. The Times of India quotes the police as saying, “We will alter the case once we confirm whether the dalit youth was harassed or not.”