▲ Scene of the incident in Punjab
A controversy has erupted in India after two young men from the Dalit community, the lowest tier of the caste system, were captured by villagers, beaten, stripped, and forced to march as punishment for suspected theft.
According to Indian media outlet NDTV on June 9 (local time), the two men were subjected to public humiliation in a village in the Sri Muktsar Sahib district of Punjab, northern India, recently.
Reports indicate that the men were seized by villagers who heard rumors that they had stolen a migrant worker's mobile phone. They were reportedly tied together, severely beaten, and forced to walk through the village while stripped of their clothes.
The incident came to light after a video of the ordeal spread on social media, sparking public outrage and criticism regarding mob justice among netizens.
The families of the victims confirmed that they belong to the Dalit community and stated that the men were subjected to caste-based slurs while being paraded.
They further demanded the punishment of those involved in the assault, calling the incident a serious violation of human dignity and the law through mob justice.
However, the villagers maintained that the two men were involved in the mobile phone theft, without addressing the issues of human dignity violations and illegality raised by the victims' families.
The police have arrested the two men suspected of theft and stated that they may also take legal action against the villagers who participated in the assault.
A police official stated that the villagers should have reported the matter to the police instead of taking the law into their own hands to punish the young men.
The Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes, a state government agency that investigates human rights violations and social discrimination against Dalits, has also launched an investigation into the truth of the matter.
"Scheduled Castes" is the term used in the Indian Constitution to refer to the lowest tier of the caste system, also known as "Dalits."
In the past, Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, called them "Harijans" (meaning children of God), but it is known that today, the community prefers the term "Dalit," which carries an independent identity meaning "the oppressed."
According to the 2011 census, the Scheduled Caste population is approximately 201 million, accounting for 16% of the total population.
While they are distributed throughout India, they reside in relatively higher numbers in northern regions such as Punjab.
(Photo: NDTV capture, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.