Dalit boy in UP made to lick feet of peers in school, 8 held

Eight people have been arrested after a Dalit boy was allegedly assaulted and made to lick the feet of an upper caste youth following a minor dispute in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli district.

The matter came to light after a video on social media showing a teenage boy licking the feet of a youth sitting on a motorbike went viral. The video also showed the boy being assaulted by a group of youths, who were students of a local school. The video was said to be recorded a few days back.

Police said that the victim, who was a resident of Jagatpur town in the district, had lodged a complaint with the local police that he was taken away to a secluded spot by a group of students where he was thrashed with hockey sticks and was later made to lick the feet of one of the accused persons – all of whom hailed from an upper caste.

Sources said that the upper caste youths were angry with the Dalit teen following a dispute over a minor matter.

Police said that all the accused youths were minors. "Eight youths have been arrested and efforts are on to identify others," a senior police official said in Raebareli.

The opposition parties condemned the incident and demanded stern action against the guilty. "Dalits are not safe in the state....the incidents of assault on the dalits have been rising," said a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader here.

The BSP also criticised the UP government for failing to ensure safety of the Dalits in the state. "Such incidents happen when the police fail to take action against the guilty people," said a senior leader here.

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