Chhatarpur, December 9: The recent incident in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand area shows that untouchability is still prevalent in the rural areas of India even after 73 years of Independence. On Monday, a 25-year-old Dalit youth was beaten to death by two men of upper caste for touching food during a feast. The tragic incident took place in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district.

The accused have been identified as Bhoora Soni and Santosh Pal. According to a report published in The Times of India, the accused called Devraj Anuragi, to clean up after the party in Kishanpur village. Anuragi served the food for himself. Seeing this, the accused fumed with anger. They beat Anuragi to death with sticks. Barmer Lynching: Dalit Youth Beaten to Death For 'Affair With Muslim Woman'

After committing the crime, both the accused fled from the spot. Police have started an investigation into the case. Soni and Pal were booked for murder and under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. A manhunt operation has been launched to nab the accused. Soni has a criminal record. Both the accused are marginal farmers.

In a similar incident in April last year, a Dalit youth was allegedly beaten to death by several men belonging to the upper cast at a wedding in Uttarakhand. The 21-year-old Dalit man was allegedly thrashed brutally for having his dinner while sitting on a chair in front of the upper caste men at the marriage function in Shrikot area of Tehri Garhwal district.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 09, 2020 10:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).