Dalit Boy Slapped, Dragged To Temple For 'Ram Is Not A God' Post

A 17-year-old Dalit schoolboy in Karnataka's Bidar was thrashed by members of a right-wing organisation after he shared a picture of Lord Rama and Hanuman with a note that they were not gods. Police have registered a case and arrested three accused. One of the accused it at large. According to police, the accused have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation are some of the charges slapped on the accused.

The incident, police said, took place at Humnabad circle area in Bidar on Monday, when a grand consecration ceremony was held at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The accused filmed the incident and circulated it on the social media. The video shows the schoolboy surrounded by several people sporting saffron scarves. As soon as he gets off an auto-rickshaw, he is slapped by one of the men surrounding him. The visuals then show him being taken inside a temple. The boy is seen prostrating before the deity as the others stand around him. In another frame, they are seen checking the minor's phone.

Police registered a case on Tuesday after the video shared by the accused went viral.