![\"Tribal](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2024-02\/9avcjbl_aa_625x300_14_February_24.jpg?im=Resize=(1230,900)\"\/ "\\"Tribal")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBhopal: <\/b><\/p>\n
A tribal man was stripped and brutally assaulted in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul, the second such incident that has come to light in the district this week. The victim runs a tea shop and said that the attackers kept asking him for ‘cut money’ while he was being beaten.<\/p>\n
A video of the assault which has gone viral on social media, shows the victim hanging upside down from the roof. He was mercilessly beaten with belts and sticks.<\/p>\n
“They, stripped me, tied me up, and then beat me with sticks, belts and slippers. I don’t know why I was being beaten, but they demanded money for the tea shop that I run with my father,” the victim told NDTV.<\/p>\n
The incident took place in November, but the victim did not file a complaint out of fear that the attackers would harm his family.<\/p>\n
“They had a gun, and I heard they one of them has also committed a murder, which is why I didn’t tell anyone. When the video went viral, I informed my elder brother that this had happened to me a few months ago,” he says. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Police have registered a case and hunt is on for the accused.<\/p>\n
This distressing event follows another incident that took place in Betul recently, where another tribal man was beaten brutally.<\/p>\n
On Monday, a tribal man was assaulted and made to pose as a “murga” in Betul. The victim was subjected to physical violence and casteist slurs by a group led by Chanchal Rajput, an alleged member of Bajrang Dal.<\/p>\n
Raju, who works as a DJ, narrated the harrowing experience: “At around 11:30 pm, while I was on my way home, I was picked up near Subhash School by Chanchal Rajput and his Bajrang Dal friends. They assaulted me physically and verbally, and used casteist slurs against me.”<\/p>\n
Official statistics though suggest a decrease in serious crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the state. According to data released by the Ajak branch of the police headquarters, there has been a 22% reduction in severe crimes against these communities from 2022 to 2023.<\/p>\n
In 2022, there were 11,384 reported cases of crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, while in 2023, the number decreased to 11,171. Murder saw a decline from 140 in 2022 to 121 in 2023. Similarly, reported cases of sexual assault dropped from 996 to 883 during the same period.<\/p>\n
The police have also identified hotspots for crimes against marginalized communities throughout the state. In 2021, there were 906 such hotspots, and by 2023, the number decreased to 566.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n