09/15/2017, 10.13
INDIA
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Punjab, Dalit tied to a tree and beaten for 'theft'. Then he disappears

The man is called Tikka Masih and is 30 years old. Since September 9, the family no longer has had no more news. Sunita's wife attempted to file a complaint, but the police would not listen to witness accounts. The about 200 million Dalit Indians are still victims of abuse and discrimination.

Batala (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A thirty-year-old Dalit man, Tikka Masih, was tied to a tree and was beaten by his boss until he "confessed" the theft of a fan. The beating took place on September 9 in the village of Bhullar, in Indian Punjab, and was filmed by landowner Deba Singh, who then posted it online. To put an end to the humiliating gesture, the Dalit's wife offered money to pay for the household appliance. But Singh rejected the offer, adding that he would "give a good lesson" to Masih. From that moment on, the man disappeared.

According to the landowner, the Dalit stole the fan from a cage for animal feed. Sunita Masih, the widow's wife, tried to defend him and made a complaint at Sadar police station in Batala. But the agents would not file her report, nor have they begun an investigation to trace his whereabouts.

The woman reports that his attackers "have tied him to a tree to make him confess to the crime. I offered them 1,300 rupees [17 euros], that is, the cost of the fan. Despite this, my husband was dragged away ". Mukhtiar Singh, local police officer, rejects the allegations and claims to have summoned the parties for today, "to take appropriate action against the culprit."

In India the dalit, formerly "untouchable", number about 200 million and are still victims of abuse. Although the Constitution has abolished any form of discrimination against them and has established a number of safeguards for access to jobs and schools, the prejudice is still very rooted. Those who are "outcastes" are given degrading tasks, such as manual waste collection and burial of cows (which in life are worshiped as sacred, but in death cannot be touched by elevated cults). The Indian Catholic Church has repeatedly expressed support for them and is active in social policies to improve their living conditions. For this reason, priests, bishops, and missionaries are often criticized by Hindu radicals, who accuse them of religious proselytizing among the poorest sections of the population.

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