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Dalit men tonsured, forced to crawl over cow smuggling allegations in Odisha

The men had bought a cow and two calves and were returning home when a mob allegedly accosted them and demanded payment. Nine people detained.

A video purportedly shows the two men crawling with grass clamped between their teeth as some men follow them. (Photo: Screengrab from X/@AmiyaPandav and @_ambedkaritee)

Nine people have been detained after a mob forcibly shaved the heads of two Dalit men and forced them to crawl over allegations of cow smuggling in Odisha’s Ganjam district.

According to the police, the victims had bought a cow and two calves and were returning home when a mob accosted them in Kharigumma village under Dharakote police limits and demanded Rs 30,000. When the men expressed inability to pay, the mob allegedly beat them up, forcibly shaved their heads, made them crawl and had them drink sewage water. A video purportedly shows the two men crawling with grass clamped between their teeth as some men follow them.

The group also took away cash of Rs 700 from them and their mobile phones, police said, adding that.

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“A case has been registered based on the complaint of the victims. Appropriate action will be taken as per law,” said Chandrika Swain, inspector of the Dharakote police station.

The victims were treated at a local hospital.

Significantly, the last year has seen a rise in the number of cow vigilante cases.

The Congress has flagged the incident on social media. “It breaks my heart to even write this. Two young Dalit men in Ganjam district were humiliated and tortured—heads half-shaved, forced to crawl 2 km, made to eat grass and drink sewage water. And for what? Just for buying a cow for their daughter’s wedding. Hate has been normalised. Caste violence is rising. And in Odisha, justice feels distant, almost invisible. Why is our Chief Minister @MohanMOdisha silent?” senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik said on X.

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