An elderly Dalit man was forced to lick his own urine at a Lucknow temple. Police have arrested one of the accused in this case. The matter has now escalated and is becoming politically charged. Samajwadi Party leaders have met with the victim, Rampal.
The case of an elderly Dalit man being forced to drink his own urine in Kakori, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, is gaining momentum. This incident occurred at the Sheetla Mata Temple complex in Kakori. The victim, Rampal, admitted that out of fear, he initially claimed it was water, but he had actually urinated. He was then forced to lick it and was threatened. After the incident came to light, a Samajwadi Party delegation led by MP RK Chaudhary visited the victim.
A brief altercation ensued between Samajwadi Party leaders and the police at Kakori. Former MP Kaushal Kishore and Malihabad MLA Jai Devi Kaushal also visited Rampal’s family. Delegations from political parties have been visiting the victim’s family since morning.
Public anger has been building up over the incident. Community members have been gathering outside the temple premises since morning. The incident occurred on Diwali night. The accused, Swami Kant alias Pammu, is the brother of the temple manager. Police have arrested him.
The victim, Rampal, said, “I was drinking water in the temple when Swami Kant alias Pammu came and accused me of urinating. I said I hadn’t urinated; water had just fallen there. But he refused and used casteist slurs. He threatened me and forced me to lick the ground.”
Coughing led to urine leakage.
The victim’s grandson, Mukesh Kumar, told news agency PTI-Bhasha that his grandfather had trouble breathing. If he didn’t take medication, he might not survive. He started coughing in the temple and passed a small amount of urine. Pammu then came and started using casteist slurs against him. The grandfather was frightened and when asked to lick the urine, he licked it. He was then asked to wash the area, and he did so with water from the pond.
Mukesh explained that the main temple is at least 40 meters away from the spot where his grandfather accidentally urinated. The police have filed a case against Pammy.
Hatred towards Dalits is in the blood: Congress
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that someone’s mistake does not mean that they should be subjected to humiliating and inhuman punishment. The Congress party said in a post that in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker forced an elderly Dalit man to lick his own urine. The elderly man was sitting in a temple courtyard when, due to illness, he accidentally urinated. The enraged RSS worker arrived at the scene, hurling casteist slurs at him, and forced him to lick the urine. This incident is a blot on humanity. The culprits should be punished severely. This incident symbolizes the anti-Dalit mentality of the RSS-BJP. Hatred towards Dalits runs in their blood, which is why they want to abolish the Constitution and implement ‘Manuism’ in the country so that they can exploit people on the basis of caste. However, the police stated that the accused has no connection to the RSS.
A naked display of anti-Dalit mentality: Azad
Bhim Army chief and MP Chandra Shekhar Azad said on this matter that the RSS worker forcing Dalit elder Rampal Pasi to lick urine is not just a crime, but a naked display of the age-old anti-Dalit mentality of casteism and feudalism. This is not only a blot on humanity but also an attack on the very soul of the Constitution. Power exerts influence on the body, the poison of casteism on the soul. We demand the government immediately arrest the accused and give him the harshest punishment under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. The victim Rampal Pasi should be provided government protection, respectful compensation, and medical treatment.
Abhijeet Thakur
Courtesy: Hindi News