Lucknow: A contractual lineman of electricity department, Tejbali Singh Patel was terminated from his job and later arrested by police after FIR for allegedly thrashing a Dalit youth Rajendra Kumar and forcing him to lick his slippers in Sonbhadra district.
The incident comes close on the heels of an incident in which a man was arrested in Madhya Pradesh for urinating on a tribal community member and having the incident filmed, triggering a huge outcry.
Ghorawal circle officer Amit Kumar on Sunday said that two video clips had went viral on social media on Saturday. “In one video, Tejbali Singh Patel of Odahatha village under Shahganj police station was seen thrashing a Dalit youth Rajendra Kumar. In other video Patel was again seen meting out inhuman treatment to Rajendra.”
Taking prompt action, Shahganj police lodged an FIR under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and sections of SC/ST Act and Patel was arrested, said Kumar.
The superintending engineer of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited Niraj Goyal also released the order for termination of services of Patel, after which the working agency concerned ended his service.
In his complaint, Rajendra, a native of Bahuar village under Robertsganj police station area, said he had gone to the place of his maternal uncle in Baldih village under Shahganj police station on July 6. As there was a power outage, he reached Shahganj power sub-station. “I had gone to the sub-station to complain and get the fault repaired, when Patel started thrashing me,” Rajendra told police, adding, “Patel made castist remarks and forced me to lick his slippers.”, When some locals tried to save him, Patel fled the scene.
Some locals recorded video of Patel’s act and it went viral on social media on Saturday.
