A man in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district was assaulted by two homeguards assigned as aides to the Tehsildar of Nababganj during a dispute at the Tehsil office, local media reports, citing police, said on Wednesday. The incident, captured on video, showed the homegurads physically assaulting the man, landing blows and kicks. The video swiftly surfaced on social media platforms, drawing to the altercation.
The video suggests that the victim of the assault is Virendra Kumar, a Dalit watchman. The caption of the viral video shared by a user @SachinGuptaUP, reads: "You take free ration and don't even vote for the government... Saying this, two home guards Veer Bahadur and Rampal beat up the police station chowkidar Virendra Kumar, a Dalit, by throwing him on the ground. The incident is from Bareilly, UP. A report was sent against both the home guards."
The video has disturbing visuals. Viewer discretion is advised.
Responding to the post, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi drew a comparison between the actions of the homeguards and "BJP goons". "The public gets ration because every citizen in this country has the right to food. The grain is grown by the farmers, the money spent on distribution is the public's."
"Does the BJP government want to make the public hostage by spending a little of their money on them? Where did these policemen get the courage to behave like BJP goons and be so cruel to our Dalit brothers?" Priyanka said in an X post in Hindi.
Responding to the outcry, the local police department in Bareilly issued a statement confirming the altercation. "After the dispute arose, the homeguards kicked and beat up the man, causing him to fall to the ground, and then physically assaulted him. Based on the statement of the victim, a case was filed and necessary action will be taken against the accused," the police said.
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