The accused—identified as Chandrasen, his son Pappu, and an associate named Godhanlal—allegedly subjected Pappu Diwakar to caste-based abuse and further humiliated him by smearing mud on his face.
In a disturbing incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, a Dalit man was allegedly assaulted and publicly humiliated by three local men after he demanded the return of money he had earlier lent them. According to the complaint, the attackers forcibly shaved his head and eyebrows, cut his moustache, and smeared mud on his face. They also recorded the entire episode on video and later circulated the footage on social media, intensifying the humiliation.
The incident reportedly took place nearly a month ago. The victim, Pappu Diwakar, had been residing in the house of one of the accused, Chandrasen, for the past few months. In his statement to the police, Diwakar said that Chandrasen had borrowed approximately ₹4.5 lakh from him to purchase a tractor. When Diwakar later asked for the repayment of the loan, Chandrasen allegedly reacted violently.
As per the complaint, Chandrasen, along with his son Pappu, their associate Godhanlal, and several others, verbally abused Diwakar. The group allegedly used derogatory and casteist slurs before physically assaulting him. The attack escalated into acts of severe humiliation, including forcibly shaving his head, moustache, and eyebrows, while continuously abusing him. The perpetrators allegedly ensured that each moment of the assault was recorded and subsequently uploaded to social media platforms.
Acting on the complaint, the local police initiated prompt action and arrested three individuals in connection with the alleged assault. However, the main accused—Chandrasen, his son Pappu, and Godhanlal—are currently absconding, and efforts are underway to trace and apprehend them.
During the course of the investigation, police also uncovered another dimension to the case. It emerged that some villagers harboured resentment against Diwakar over allegations that he practised black magic. According to the police, Diwakar had allegedly convinced villagers that hidden treasure was buried in their homes and encouraged them to dig for it. After spending considerable amounts of money and finding nothing, some villagers reportedly turned hostile and allegedly assaulted him.
The police are continuing their investigation into all aspects of the case, including the assault, the circulation of the video, and the additional allegations that surfaced during the probe.
