Dalit teen tortured to death in Uttarakhand, family refuse last rites
New Delhi: An 18-year-old Dalit youth was tortured to death with pliers and iron nails in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district, evoking widespread outrage as his family and villagers refused to accept the body for last rites until all attackers were arrested.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Ketan Lal was called to Kholgarh village in Pratapgarh Block by a minor girl he had been in contact with for six months. Family members claimed that when Ketan arrived with a friend, they were locked in a room and assaulted with sticks by the girl’s relatives.
The victim’s father Dhanpal Lal said the attackers used pliers to pull out Ketan’s fingernails and toenails, drove iron nails into his feet, and inflicted severe injuries to his genitals. Deep bruises covered his back, chest and limbs.
Ketan succumbed to his wounds during treatment at Baurari District Hospital. Irate villagers mobbed the hospital and demonstrated outside, accusing police of failing to arrest all the culprits.
