Dalit teen assaulted, Muslim men beaten and jailed in separate hate incidents in India
New Delhi: Two deeply disturbing incidents, one in Tamil Nadu and another in Uttar Pradesh, have once again brought caste-based and religious discrimination into sharp focus in Modi’s India. A Dalit teenager was brutally assaulted in Chennai for interacting with a girl from another caste, while two Muslim men in Pilibhit, UP, were beaten and jailed on false cow smuggling allegations, despite possessing legal documentation.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in Chennai’s Secretariat Colony, a 17-year-old Dalit boy from the Adi Dravidar community was stripped, beaten, and subjected to casteist abuse for meeting a girl from the Most Backward Class (Vanniyar) community. Those involved in the assault were identified as Saravanan, a former BJP functionary, and his brother Logesh, who reportedly confined the boy in a room before assaulting him. The attack took place while the boy was visiting the girl at her relatives’ house.
The incident highlights the persistent caste prejudices that continue to plague Indian society despite constitutional safeguards. Dalits remain vulnerable to discrimination, violence, and exclusion.
Meanwhile, in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, two Muslim men, Abid and his relative Sajid, were violently attacked and jailed on false allegations of cow smuggling. They were transporting a legally purchased milch cow and calf to a Hindu friend, Man Singh, in a nearby village. Despite carrying proper documentation, they were assaulted by members of a local Hindutva group and later handed over to the police, who allegedly acted under pressure. To the outrage of locals, charges were filed against the victims without proper investigation.
Both incidents starkly reflect the ongoing grim realities of caste and religious discrimination in India.
