Dalit woman alleges police assaulted her while she held her newborn after caste-based attack on family demanding unpaid wages
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A Dalit woman in India’s Uttar Pradesh state has accused police officers of brutally assaulting her while she was holding her newborn daughter, after she sought help over a caste-based attack on her family following a dispute over unpaid wages.
The incident took place in Piyasi village in Kanpur Dehat district, where Poonam Devi and her husband, Trimal Singh, were allegedly assaulted and subjected to casteist abuse after demanding payment for labor performed before the Hindu festival of Diwali.
According to Poonam, her husband approached a local resident on Saturday to collect his outstanding wages, but the person refused to pay immediately and asked him to return after the festival.
Singh insisted that he needed his wages before Diwali, triggering an argument that allegedly escalated into violence.
Poonam claimed that several villagers attacked the couple, punched and kicked them, hurled caste-based slurs and threatened to kill them.
Dalits, historically oppressed communities long treated as “untouchable” within the Hindu caste hierarchy, continue to face discrimination, violence and exploitation, particularly in rural India.
After escaping the confrontation, Poonam called India’s emergency police helpline, 112, seeking protection and assistance.
However, she alleged that two female police officers who arrived at the scene assaulted her instead of responding to her complaint.
Poonam said the officers grabbed both her arms and beat her despite her holding her newborn daughter.
She claimed that she repeatedly pleaded with the officers to stop, pointing to the infant in her arms, but they ignored her appeals.
The woman also accused police of seizing the cellphone of a person who was recording the incident.
Officers subsequently took her husband to the police station, where authorities initiated proceedings against him for allegedly disturbing public peace.
Police, however, rejected Poonam’s allegations and presented a different account of the confrontation.
The officer in charge of Gajner police station claimed that Singh was intoxicated and verbally abusing others when officers arrived.
Police further alleged that both Singh and his wife behaved aggressively toward officers, denying that Poonam had been assaulted.
Following the incident, Poonam visited the district superintendent of police’s office on Saturday afternoon and submitted a written complaint demanding action against the villagers and police personnel involved.
She sought accountability for the alleged caste-based assault, threats and police violence.
The case highlights the vulnerability of Dalit laborers, who frequently face discrimination and exploitation within India’s caste-based social hierarchy, particularly when demanding wages or challenging entrenched power structures.
Poonam’s allegations also raise questions about police accountability and the protection available to marginalized communities when they approach law enforcement seeking justice.
Courtesy : Muslim Network TV
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