‘Abused, forced to lick urine as punishment’, allege kin of Dalit man in Lucknow; accused arrested

The victim’s grandson claimed his grandfather had breathing difficulties and accidentally urinated. Police, however, said the complainant stated that he was made to taste water that split from his bottle with his finger to “prove” it wasn’t urine.

The incident, which took place on Diwali (October 20), triggered a political furore. As per news agency PTI, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said on Wednesday that a probe has been launched, while the Opposition — Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Azad Samaj Party — hit out at the BJP and demanded strict action.

“The government is sensitive to such incidents and stands firmly with Dalits, the poor, and the deprived. Whoever is found guilty will face strict action. A detailed investigation is being conducted,” Pathak told reporters.

Rampal’s grandson, Mukesh, said his grandfather was sitting near their house, which is about 40 metres from a temple, on Monday evening.

“My grandfather has a breathing problem. Because he was unable to get up and reach the toilet, he accidentally urinated on the ground. At that time, the accused happened to be passing by. He verbally abused and scolded my grandfather and allegedly forced him to lick the urine as a form of punishment. Later, he made him clean the area by washing it with water,” Mukesh alleged.

He further stated, “When my grandfather told us about the incident the next day, we immediately went to the police station and got a complaint lodged.”

According to Station House Officer (SHO) of Kakori police station, Satish Chandra, on Tuesday, Rampal lodged a complaint stating that he was sitting inside the temple premises a day earlier when some water accidentally spilled in front of him from a water bottle.

The SHO said as per the victim’s complaint, the accused allegedly assumed he had urinated at the spot and began verbally abusing and threatening him. When the victim protested and denied the accusation, Rampal said Kant allegedly forced him to touch the spilled water with his finger and then place it on his tongue to “prove” that the water was pure. Kant also allegedly made casteist remarks and issued threats.

The Kakori police registered an FIR against the accused on charges including criminal intimidation and other related offences. In addition, police have invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against him. “We arrested the accused, Swami Kant, in connection with the case,” confirmed SHO Chandra.

Kant belongs to a backward class. During questioning, police said the accused claimed he had only asked Rampal to touch the water.

Taking note of the incident, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav wrote in a post in Hindi on X, “Just because someone makes a mistake doesn’t mean they deserve a humiliating or inhuman punishment. Only change can bring about change.”

The Congress, in a post on X, called the incident “in BJP-ruled UP a blot on humanity”. “This incident is a symbol of the anti-Dalit mentality of RSS-BJP. Hatred towards Dalits runs in their blood… This is precisely why they want to abolish the Constitution in the country and implement Manuvad, so that they can exploit people on the basis of caste,” it said.

Azad Samaj Party chief Chandrashekhar Azad condemned the act, calling it a “shameful display of caste-based mindset”.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged, “Being a Dalit has become a crime under the BJP rule”. He said a party delegation would soon meet the victim and his family.

Mukesh, meanwhile, said leaders and workers from several political parties, including BJP, SP, Congress and AAP, visited their home to offer support. “The accused, who is involved in the jewellery business, is an influential figure in the area…,” he alleged.

(with PTI inputs)