Dalit Youth Brutally Assaulted, Humiliated in Lucknow Over Cricket Match Dispute

Lucknow- In an alarming incident stemming from a cricket match dispute in Lucknow's Indiranagar area, Uttar Pradesh, a Dalit youth was subjected to a heinous assault by members of another community. Shockingly, it is alleged that the assailants went to the extent of humiliating the youth by urinating on his face. The young man, left unconscious during the altercation, endured this horrifying incident on the afternoon of January 13. In connection with the incident, the victim's father has filed a case against 25 to 30 unidentified individuals, including one named Fardeen, at the Indiranagar police station.

Residing in Chandan village in the northern part of Indiranagar, the 18-year-old victim works as an AC repairman, living with his family. According to the victim's father, on January 12, his son was engaged in a cricket match with local youths in the field. Simultaneously, youths from other communities were also participating in matches on the same grounds. Trouble brewed when the ball from the Dalit youth's team crossed over to the other side, leading to a verbal altercation between the two groups. While the associates of the victim disengaged from the situation, the Dalit youth remained to collect the ball, only to face a violent attack from the opposing side.

The victim, managing to escape the immediate danger, reached home without divulging the incident to anyone. Later in the evening, the accused once again assaulted the Dalit youth near a local shop. This time, he revealed the entire ordeal to his family. Allegedly, Fardeen and approximately 25 to 30 people, creating a ruckus, went to the victim's colony, and abused him. Local intervention diffused the situation, and the victim's mother and maternal grandfather went to Fardeen's house to complaint to his parents.

On the afternoon of December 13, while the Dalit youth was on his way to pick up his sister from school, Fardeen and his associates, lying in wait, ambushed and brutally beat him with sticks. It is claimed that the accused also subjected him to the humiliating act of urination on his face, causing the young man to lose consciousness. Upon regaining consciousness, he managed to reach home and narrated the entire incident to his family.

Promptly addressing the matter, the victim's father filed a complaint with the Indiranagar police on the same day. A case against the unidentified accused, including Fardeen, was officially registered on Monday. The case is currently under investigation by ACP Ghazipur, as confirmed by DCP North Qasim Abdi, who stated that the altercation originated from a dispute during a cricket match.

This incident adds to a distressing series of reported crimes against Dalits across the country. According to the recent annual report by the National Crime Records Bureau, there has been a significant surge in crimes against Dalits and tribals, with 57,582 and 10,064 cases registered, respectively, in the year 2022. This marks a disturbing increase of 13.1% and 14.3% compared to the previous year. In Uttar Pradesh alone, 15,368 cases of crimes against Dalits were reported. Shedding light on the severity of the issue, Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra, responding to a question by BSP MP Girish Chandra, disclosed in March 2023 that between 2018 and 2022, a staggering 1,89,945 cases of crimes against Dalits were registered, with 49,613 cases in Uttar Pradesh alone.

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