PATNA: A Dalit youth was brutally assaulted, urinated upon and spat on the face by a group of men for demanding his wages in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district. The victim, who is undergoing treatment in a hospital, on Wednesday lodged a complaint against the offenders.The police swung into action after a video showing the entire incident went viral on social media. The police registered a case against three persons—Ramesh Patel, brother Arun Patel and his son Gaurav Patel—and launched raids to arrest them. The incident took place on October 4 when the victim Rinku Manjhi demanded wages for the work he had done at the poultry farm of the accused persons at Chaupar Madan village under Bochaha police station in the district.Rinku, a labourer by profession, told the police that he had worked for a few days at the poultry farm of Ramesh Patel, but the wages were not paid. On October 4, on seeing the poultry farm owner at his business centre, Rinku asked for his wages.Infuriated over this, Ramesh called his brother Arun Patel and son Gaurav and assaulted him in public. Ramesh asked his son to urinate and spit on his face. The people, however, remained mute spectators and didn’t intervene as the accused were known for their muscle power.One of the bystanders later admitted him to a hospital and informed his family. On Wednesday, he informed the police, who recorded his statement and subsequently an FIR was lodged against three members of the family.Vidya Sagar, Superintendent of Police, Rural, Muzaffarpur, said that action would be taken against the accused, who were absconding after they came to know about a case registered against them. “We have formed a special police team to nab the accused,” he added.When contacted, the station house officer of Bochaha police station Rakesh Kumar Yadav said that the FIR had been registered under relevant sections of the SC/ST Act against three persons on the basis of statement of the victim. The incident took place on October 4 but the victim reported the matter to the police on Wednesday, he said.Meanwhile, the victim alleged that he has received threats to his life ever since he lodged a case against the accused. In the police complaint, Rinku claimed that he had stopped moving outside due to a threat to his life from the accused. This is not an isolated case. On August 12, the mutilated body of a 14-year-old girl was recovered from a pond near Paru village in Muzaffarpur district. The deceased’s family alleged that she was raped before being murdered using a towel. This led to tension in the area, as residents put up road blockade, burnt tyres and indulged in vandalism.
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