15-year-old Dalit in Rajasthan assaulted for entering temple

Chittorgarh: A 15-year-old Dalit boy from Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district has alleged that he was verbally abused and physically assaulted on caste lines at the Laxmi Narayan Temple in Ghosunda village.

In his complaint, Chetan Prakash Regar, the son of Mangilal Regar, said the incident took place on the morning of February 7 when he went to the temple to pray. While he was returning, an upper-caste man, identified as Shubham Sukhwal, allegedly stopped him and used caste slurs, objecting to his presence in the temple.

The FIR accessed by Mooknayak states that the accused questioned how someone from the Dalit community could enter the temple and reacted aggressively when the boy asserted that the place of worship was open to everyone. The complaint further alleges that the man continued to hurl casteist abuse, threatened to kill the minor if he returned to the temple, and then assaulted him by slapping, kicking and punching him. It also names another man, Pawan, as having joined in the attack and allegedly attempted to cause serious harm, Siasat Daily reported.

The boy told the police that even as he managed to escape, the accused continued issuing threats warning him and others from his community against visiting the temple in the future. The FIR also mentions the temple priest, alleging that he too used caste-based threats against the minor.

Police have registered a case under sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 115(2) (intentionally causing harm) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Atrocities) Act. However, the family has said no arrests have been made so far and that they feel unsafe following the incident.

Chetan belongs to the Regar community. Local Dalit organisations, including the Dr Ambedkar Civil Association in Rajasthan, have submitted a memorandum to the State Human Rights Commission through the district administration, condemning the attack and calling for strict action against those accused.