Son Nagar/Tantwas (Rajasthan): In a cramped room inside a small house at Son Nagar village, about 60 kilometres from the district headquarters of Nagaur in Rajasthan, 24-year-old Visharam Nayak sat surrounded by a large group of people.
It was only a few days after the disturbing video of an assault on Visharam and his 19-year-old cousin Pannaram Nayak, which took place on 16 February, went viral on social media.
The clip, which shows one of the two Dalit brothers being stripped and violated with a screw driver dipped in petrol, has led to an uproar against caste-based violence in the state.
Rajasthan is among the top five worst performing states when it comes to violence against Scheduled Castes (SC), and accounts for 10.8 per cent of all crimes against them in the country.
According to the latest data available on the Rajasthan Police’s website, Nagaur was among the top five districts in the state that reported the highest cases of caste atrocities in 2017. In an incident that had sent shockwaves across the country, some 200 Jat men had allegedly killed five Dalits over a land dispute in the district in 2015.
Nagaur’s landscape is mostly dominated by the Jats and Rajputs, with SCs making up for just about 21 per cent of its population.
A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said Nagaur has seen several instances of caste violence in the past. “Caste-based violence happen here (Nagaur) routinely. Jats and Rajputs are proud of their castes and socially powerful. In areas where there is awareness, there is peace. But that isn’t the case in most places of Nagaur.”
Residents of Son Nagar, however, told ThePrint that the assault on the two Dalit brothers was the “first instance” of caste violence the village has seen.
“Our neighbours are also Rajputs…but we have lived peacefully alongside them for generations. They support us wholeheartedly, and none of us have seen this kind of grisly caste-based violence before,” Pannaram’s mother Dapu Devi told ThePrint.
According to the 2011 census, the village has a SC population that almost equals its upper caste Rajputs.
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The afternoon of 16 February
Two FIRs — one filed by the victims and a counter filed by the accused — tell different versions of what had happened on the afternoon of 16 February.
According to an initial FIR filed by Visharam and Pannaram, the two men had gone to an automobile showroom at around 2.30 pm to get their motorcycle serviced when they were accused of stealing money from the cash counter by its owner Hanuman Singh and six others — Bhim Singh, Aidaan Singh, Jassu Singh, Sawai Singh, Laxman Singh and Ganpat Singh.
The two brothers were stripped, kicked and whipped with a long rubber belt by the accused when they refuted the claims. Visharam was pinned to the floor and the main accused, Hanuman, violated him with a screwdriver dipped in petrol.
A case was lodged under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 143 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC and various sections under the SC/ST Act.
The brothers have undergone two medical examinations so far, the reports of which are yet to be released.
Pannaram also told ThePrint that the accused had shouted casteist slurs at them and threatened both men to not tell anyone about the assault.
According to the counter FIR filed by Hanuman, the two brothers tried to steal Rs 50,000 from the store when they were caught red-handed. CCTV footage of the men allegedly stealing money has also been recovered, said police, though they have not found the money yet.
“We are investigating the case and have formed teams to find some of the other accused who are also seen in the video. We’re looking into the counter claims of theft too,” Vikas Pathak, superintendent of police, Nagaur district, told ThePrint.
The police have so far arrested seven men named in the initial FIR filed by the two brothers.
Gautam Nayak, the victims’ lawyer, said he met a delegation of Congress leaders on 21 February. “They have agreed to the victims’ demands of police protection, addition of relevant sections, and speedy investigation. The brothers have also received Rs 50,000 each as compensation under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” he added.
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Perpetrators knew brothers for more than a year
The brothers’ family said they have known Hanuman and other accused for nearly a year.
On 20 March 2019, Visharam’s father, Jagdishram Nayak, had bought a motorcycle from the showroom owned by Hanuman. A down payment of Rs 20,000 was made and an EMI of Rs 4,180 each month for a year was agreed upon.
“We have been paying the monthly installments on the 20th of every month, as was agreed. But the previous two installments were due when Visharam and Pannaram had gone to get the motorcycle serviced. We were short of money and had told them that we would pay a fine if necessary on the next due date,” said Jagdishram, producing papers of the purchase.
“When we went to the showroom on 16 February, we told the owner that we will give the pending money on the 20th. But he refused to listen to us,” Visharam said.
The families of the two brothers told ThePrint that they came to know about the assault only after the videos, allegedly leaked by the accused, were widely shared on social media.
Bhuraram Nayak, the victims’ cousin who had persuaded them to file an FIR, said, “Things with this family won’t be the same for a while now. After the politicians leave, the crowd will go with them and they won’t have the same attention. For now, they have the support, but they are scared for their lives.”
‘Never faced caste violence before’
On the day of the incident, Visharam’s older brother Durgaram Nayak got a call from Hanuman telling him that the two men were tied up in the showroom and would be released only if he produced a fine of Rs 5,100.
Durgaram decided to go to the automobile shop with two of his older Rajput neighbours — Arjan Singh and Jethu Singh.
“When we reached there, I saw my brothers tied up. Hanuman told us he would let them go only if we paid up the remaining dues. But I didn’t have the money. It was Arjan who said he would pay the money on our behalf, and that’s how the brothers were freed,” Durgaram told ThePrint.
Condemning the violence, Arjan told ThePrint, “Hanuman refused to believe Durgaram when the latter said that he would arrange for the money. But he listened to me because we are both Rajputs.”
It has been more than a week since the incident, but the air in the village still remains tense. “We’ve always lived like brothers…we don’t treat each other on the basis of different castes. But I can’t speak for the future,” said a neighbour, who did not want to be named.
Stark differences
Though Visharam and Pannaram’s neighbours said there were no caste-based disputes, the differences between properties owned by the Dalits and the Rajputs in Son Nagar are stark.
While their Rajput neighbours have concrete houses, the Dalit brothers share two small mud huts along with 13 other members.
The family of the two brothers claimed to not have received any grant under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana as their neighbours did. “Our name was not in the gram sabha survey for some reason, so we didn’t receive any government benefits except for electricity,” said Bhuraram.
The Nayak family earns about Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000 a month from cultivating cumin and daily wage work.
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What does the Hindoo Think of the Dalits ?
The Dalits and Sudras needs to secede !
Dalits need to Read the Gita !
The Gita allows the discrimination of Lower Castes ! If the Hindoos treat their own like dirt – what will they do for the Kashmiris ?
The concept of classes of humans ordained in this birth and the next birth where redemption is obtained by perpetual misery and suffering of the lower classes is anathema to Islam !
This the injunction of the Gita delivered by their God – Krishna.dindooohindoo
“It is far better to perform one’s svadharma (prescribed duties), even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous.” – Bhagavad-Gita 3:35.
“According to the three modes of material nature (goodness, passion, ignorance) and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society (Brahmin/KsHatriya/Vaisya/Sudra) are created by Me .And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.” — Bhagavad-Gita 4:13.