Two Dalits brutally thrashed in Rajasthan's Nagaur on suspicion of theft; CM Ashok Gehlot says guilty won't be spared

In a shocking case of caste violence, two men from the Dalit community were brutally thrashed on suspicion of stealing money from a showroom in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district. The two victims were allegedly caught stealing money from a two-wheeler agency after which the showroom staffers tortured and assaulted the two persons. The matter came to light when a video of the assault went viral. The video shows graphic details of the brutal assault, in which the perpetrators are seen dousing a screwdriver with petrol and inserting it in the rectum of one of the victims. [caption id=“attachment_8064291” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Two Dalits were tortured in Nagaur. Screengrab from video of incident[/caption] The police have detained five persons in connection with the incident. “Two persons were caught stealing money on Sunday after which they were brutally thrashed by the showroom employees. A video was shot which went viral after which the victims lodged an FIR on Wednesday,” Rajpal Singh, SHO, Panchodi police station said. Those arrested are identified as Hanuman Singh, Aidan Singh, Raghuvir Singh, Chhail Singh and Rehmatullah. While Hanuman is the owner, others are workers at the agency,  Outlook reported. The SHO revealed that the FIR for Sunday’s incident was lodged only on Wednesday as the two sides had “reached a compromise”. However, the complaint was finally registered after videos of the incident went viral. “Initially, both sides had reached a compromise and no complaint was lodged with us. But once the videos went viral, we received a complaint and lodged an FIR under the relevant Indian Penal Code sections for assault, wrongful confinement, as well as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,”  The Indian Express quoted Singh as saying. The local MP and BJP leader Hanuman Beniwal took note of the incident and questioned the Rajasthan government over the delay in registering the FIR. He tweeted, “Jungle rule prevails in the state, there is no fear of law. A lawsuit was filed 2-3 days after the incident. Who tried to suppress the case? Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot your claims about protection of Dalit interests are false and hollow.” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also took note of the incident. “The recent video of two young Dalit men being brutally tortured in Nagaur, Rajasthan is horrific and sickening. I urge the state Government to take immediate action to bring the perpetrators of this shocking crime to justice,” he said on Twitter. Gehlot finally reacted after this. He said that the police took prompt action in the case, adding that the guilty will not be spared. “In the horrific incident in Nagaur, immediate and effective action has been taken and seven accused have been arrested so far. Nobody will be spared. The culprits will be punished according to the law and we will ensure that the victims get justice,” Gehlot tweeted. Meanwhile, the showroom staffers have also lodged a case against the two Dalits for stealing money. The victims have been identified as Bisa Ram (25) and Panna Lal (18). With inputs from PTI