A Dalit elderly man was subjected to the cruelty of casteist hierarchy by an RSS worker in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, who allegedly forced him to lick urine, drawing strong condemnation from human rights defenders and Dalit groups, while Chandrashekhar Azad MP termed it a blot on humanity and demanded stringent action.
The incident occurred in the Sheetal Temple locality near Purani Bazar under Kakori police station limits, where the victim, identified as Rampal Pasi, reportedly faced an act of humiliation that has once again exposed the persistence of caste-based violence in parts of the state, Maktoob Media reported.
According to reports, the ailing man had accidentally spilled water while drinking, but the accused, allegedly an RSS worker, accused him of urinating and, in a display of extreme cruelty, forced him to lick it up after fetching water.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the elderly victim was also subjected to casteist insults and verbal abuse, compounding the degradation he endured. The incident has been condemned by human rights activists and Dalit organisations as a manifestation of feudal arrogance and caste oppression, underscoring the social hostility that continues to plague marginalised communities in rural and semi-urban Uttar Pradesh.
They described the assault not merely as an act of physical violence but as an attempt to crush the dignity and spirit of an elderly Dalit man, reflecting a mindset deeply entrenched in hierarchical caste prejudice.
Bhim Army chief and Azad Samaj Party president Chandrashekhar Azad MP denounced the incident as an affront to constitutional values and called upon the Uttar Pradesh government to act decisively. He demanded the immediate arrest of the accused under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, along with assurances of medical assistance, dignified compensation, and protection for the victim.
Local residents alleged that the police had initially delayed registering the case and accused law enforcement of habitual inaction in caste-related crimes unless public outrage intervened. However, Kakori police officials later confirmed that a case had been registered on the basis of a written complaint and that the accused had been arrested.