A nine-year-old Dalit boy was allegedly tied up and beaten by a 26-year-old man belonging to the Gounder community on Saturday, December 21 for scribbling on the dust that had settled on the man’s car in Avinashi, Tiruppur district. The man from the dominant caste, which is classified as Backward Class (BC) in Tamil Nadu, also stabbed two of the boy’s relatives who questioned the assault. Cheyur police arrested the accused, identified as Mohan, on Saturday and booked him under the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Mohan had reportedly found the 9-year-old boy scribbling on the dust of his car that was parked on the road on Saturday. He dragged the boy into his house, tied him up, and physically assaulted the boy for more than an hour.
Relatives of the boy, who were looking for him, entered Mohan’s house after they heard the boy’s cry for help. When they questioned and condemned the assault, Mohan stabbed two of the boy’s relatives named Karupathal (55) and Selvaraj (47) and fled the scene.
All three victims were rushed to the Avinashi Government Hospital for treatment. After receiving first aid, they were shifted to a private hospital in Tiruppur district where they are currently undergoing treatment. The Cheyur police filed a First Information Report (FIR) on Saturday and arrested Mohan.