Dalit youth paraded half-naked, assaulted in Punjab village; 1 arrested as video goes viral

A Dalit youth, Harjot Singh, was assaulted and paraded half-naked in Seeda village, located on the outskirts of Ludhiana, on Tuesday. The incident occurred after Harjot was accused of helping his friend elope with a woman from the village. The youth's beard and moustache were forcibly shaved, his face was blackened, his clothes torn, and he was paraded semi-naked while caste-based slurs were hurled at him.

According to the police, Harjot’s friend had married the woman on June 19, following which tensions had been ongoing in the village. On Tuesday, while Harjot was at a salon, a group of men reportedly barged in, dragged him out, and physically assaulted him. The assailants also filmed the incident and circulated the video on social media platforms.

An FIR was filed on Saturday under Sections 115(2), 127(2), and 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The accused named in the FIR are Gurpreet alias Gopa, Simranjeet Singh alias Simma, Sandeep alias Sam, Rajveer, and Ramandeep alias Kaka.

Inspector Paramdeep Singh of the Meharban police station confirmed that Simranjeet Singh has been arrested in connection with the case. He added that efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining accused involved in the incident. The police are continuing their investigation based on the viral video and the victim's statement.

The victim's family has demanded justice and maximum punishment for all those involved in the attack. A senior police official stated, “This is not just a case of physical assault. It is a brutal attack on human dignity. We are investigating the matter thoroughly.”