Two Dalit men in Odisha's Ganjam district were tonsured, forced to eat grass and drink sewage water on the charge of smuggling cattle, which later turned out to be a false alarm.
The two victims, Babula Nayak, 53, and Bulu Nayak, 42, are from Singhipur village in Ganjam. The cattle were to be given as dowry to the son-in-law of Babula, a year after his daughter's wedding.
The incident that took place at Khariguma village under Dharakote police station in Ganjam on Sunday has been condemned, among others, by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Locals in Ganjam alleged that the attack was carried out by Bajrang Dal activists, though the outfit denied it.
The Dalit Mahasangha on Tuesday gheraoed the office of the revenue divisional commissioner in Berhampur to protest the atrocities committed against its members.
Sangram Nayak, convener of the Ganjam district Dalit Mahasangha, and the national secretary of All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha, Bhalu Chadra Sarangi, said in a statement: "Members of the Bajrang Dal have perpetrated the crime. In the name of protecting cows, they are torturing people. Hundreds of incidents take place every day, but only a few come to light."
Sources said a mob surrounded the two Dalits in Khariguma and demanded ₹30,000 as penalty for cattle smuggling. When the men refused to pay, they were allegedly beaten up, tonsured and forced to drink sewage water. They were caught by the mob when they were carrying a cow and two calves on a cargo autorickshaw from Haripur to Singhipur.
Babula told The Telegraph: "I bought the cow for ₹6,300 and the two calves for ₹7,800 from Haripur. I wanted to give it as dowry that I had promised during my younger daughter's wedding last year. However, I couldn't manage my finances over the last year.
"After I arranged some money, I decided to buy a cow and two calves that I wanted to give to my son-in-law. But we were confronted by a mob midway at Khariguma and accused of cattle smuggling. I pleaded with them. They took us to a saloon in Jahada and tonsured us. When we asked for water, they forced us to drink sewage water and eat grass. I demand justice."
A video of the two men crawling with clumps of grass stuck in their teeth went viral, sparking widespread outrage. Eight persons have been arrested after the victims lodged an FIR.
"This incident reflects the reality for those who deny the persistence of caste injustice in India. Such incidents are becoming common in BJP-ruled states because their politics is based on hate and discrimination," Rahul wrote on X.