6 arrested for stripping, thrashing Dalit boys in Rajasthan
The three boys were accused of stealing a motorbike belonging to an upper caste man.
New Delhi: Police on Tuesday arrested six men for stripping and thrashing three young Dalit boys and parading them naked in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district. The boys aged between 13-15, were accused of stealing an upper caste man’s motorbike and were beaten up by an irate mob on Saturday.
"It isn't an upper caste versus lower caste case. This is a case of theft and mob fury -- both are wrong. We arrested six from the mob today," Gaj Singh, a senior police officer of Chittorgarh said.
According to media reports, the children were tied to a tree, thrashed, and paraded naked for their alleged crime but were eventually removed from the scene after police intervention. A video of the incident was shot by eyewitnesses.
The kids reportedly belong to the Kanjar tribe, who live secluded on the outskirt of villages and towns. Kanjars are a socially stigmatised nomadic community found across northern and central India whose members often face such discrimination that they are forced to live outside villages and towns.
Manan Chaturvedi, the head of Rajasthan's child rights commission, promised to investigate the matter.