TUMAKURU: A Dalit youth was left with a serious injury after two caste Hindus allegedly assaulted him for playing a song on Dr BR Ambedkar in a milk procurement van he was travelling in. The assault took place at Gidada Muddanahalli village in Gubbi taluk on Saturday evening.
The victim Deepu (19), a student from Sirivara village in Tumakuru Rural, who was tasked with procurement of milk from farmers, was travelling with the van driver Narasimha Murthy. Around 6pm, the accused, Chandrashekar, a gangman with Indian Railways, and his accomplice Narasimharaju, waylaid the van, pretending to be RPF personnel. They questioned the victim for playing a song on Ambedkar from the serial ‘Mahanayaka’.
They asked for the victim’s caste and when he revealed that he was from SC-Madiga community (Dalit caste), they dragged both Deepu and Narasimha Murthy out of the van and assaulted them. The accused kicked Deepu in his groin, leaving him with a severe injury. When he shouted in pain, a crowd gathered and shifted him to the government hospital in Gubbi town.
