In Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, an alarming incident unfolded where a poultry farm owner meted out a harsh punishment to three village children for the alleged theft of a mere five kilograms of chicken feed. It is alleged that he shaved half of the children's heads, wrote 'thief' on them, smeared black oil on their faces, and beat them with electric cables before parading them naked through the village.
According to the FIR registered at the police station, he also attempted to strangle the children. The Rural SP stated that an FIR has been filed under various sections, including harassment of Dalits, and three individuals have been sent to jail.
This shocking case emerged from Tajpur Tediya village in the Nanpara police station area of Bahraich district. A poultry farm owner, Nazim, along with his sons Kazim and Inayat, imposed such a punishment on three minor children, including a Dalit, over the alleged theft of chicken feed.
When the children's families learned of this, they called the police, who then rescued the children from their captors. On the complaint made by the father of the victim, Dalit child Pawan, the police registered a case at the Nanpara police station against four individuals, including the main accused Nazim, his son Kazim, and Inayat, under sections for harassing Dalits and attempted murder. The former head of the village, Shanu, was also charged for pressuring the victims to deter police action.
The father of the victimized Dalit child Pawan, Rajit Ram, recounted the horrific ordeal, explaining that Nazim stealthily took his child to the poultry farm on the outskirts of the village and accused him of stealing chicken feed, subsequently punishing him severely by beating him, shaving his head, and smearing black oil on his face to parade him around the village. Ram stated that his child had already stopped working at the farm, which makes the incident even more unjustified.
