6 arrested for urinating on a tribal youth

Amaravati (IANS). Police have arrested six people in Andhra Pradesh for brutally assaulting a tribal youth and humiliating him by urinating on his face.

The incident, which took place on June 19 in Ongole town of Prakasam district, came to the fore on social media a month later.

Prakasam district superintendent of police Mallika Garg said the incident took place on June 19 when the victim, Naveen, who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, was admitted to the hospital with injuries.

He said in a statement, “During interrogation, he told that there was a fight between his friends and him, but he did not tell about the urine. After the video went viral, Naveen gave a statement that his friends, who are from Kamma and other communities, harassed him and threatened him by urinating on him.”

The SP said that out of the nine accused, six have been arrested while three are absconding. A team has been set up to arrest the absconding people.

Out of the 6 arrested, 3 are juveniles who are being produced in the court. The SP said, a case has been registered under section 307 and SC/ST Act.

The reason given for the crime was that Naveen had eloped with the girlfriend of accused Abhilash and they wanted to take revenge. So, they invited Naveen for dinner and then assaulted him and urinated on him.

The nine accused and Naveen are childhood friends who have been involved in several crimes in the past and have 30 cases registered against them.

A similar incident had also happened in Madhya Pradesh. A BJP leader urinated on a tribal laborer. Now the Ongole incident has again triggered outrage among tribal groups and they demanded action.

In a video clip circulating on social media, Naveen, lying in a pool of blood, is pleading with the assailants to spare him. Some of the accused then urinated on the victim’s face and asked him to drink it.