Congress expresses anguish over 'torture' of 2 Dalit men in Odisha, forms panel to conduct probe

Bhubaneswar: The Congress on Tuesday expressed anguish over the alleged torture of two Dalit men on suspicion of cattle smuggling in Odisha's Ganjam district and constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.

The two Dalit men were allegedly tonsured, assaulted and forced to crawl on their knees and consume grass and drain water on suspicion of cattle smuggling, the police said, adding that nine people have been detained in connection with the incident.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das on Monday night formed a five-member panel headed by its legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam to investigate the matter.

Other members of the panel are OPCC vice resident Lalatendu Mohapatra, MLA Ramesh Jena, its general secretary Subarna Nayak and secretary Tuleswar Nayak.

The incident occurred at Jahada in Kharigumma village under Dharakote Police Station limits on Sunday.

"The committee has been asked to visit the village, engage directly with the victims, and submit an immediate report to the Pradesh Congress," a party leader said.

A purported video of the incident went viral, triggering widespread criticism in the political sphere.

PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

The victims — Babula Nayak (54) and Bulu Nayak (42) of Singipur — were transporting two cows and a calf in an auto from Hariour to their village when they were caught by a group of self-proclaimed 'cow protectors' at Kharigumma, accusing the two of smuggling cattle, police said.

"The mob allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 from the duo. When the victims refused, they were assaulted and subjected to degrading treatment. They were taken to a salon and their heads were tonsured partly. They were then forced to crawl on their knees for over a kilometre, fed grass and made to drink drain water," a police officer said.

After managing to flee from the clutches of the mob, the victims lodged an FIR against the accused at Dharakote Police Station on Sunday evening.

According to the victims, the cattle were meant as a traditional gift for the wedding of Babula’s daughter.

The police have detained nine people for allegedly assaulting and partially tonsuring the heads of the two Dalit men, the officer said.

Ganjam SP Suvendu Kumar Patra said a case was registered under various sections of the BNS and SC/ST Act.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the attackers' motive was not animal protection but extortion, the police said.

“Investigation is under way and stern action will be taken to ensure swift justice,” the SP said.

In a social media post, opposition BJD said, “The people are becoming increasingly restless. The law and order are collapsing in Odisha.”