Bahraich: In Nanpara area of Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh, domineering poultry farm owners and a former village head accused three children aged 12 to 14 of stealing five kilos of wheat, allegedly beat them with electric wire and shaved the heads of all three. And with ‘thief’ written on his forehead, he was taken around the village. On receiving the complaint, the police registered a case against four people in this case and arrested three of them.
Police sources said on Thursday that in Tajpur Tediya village of Nanpara Kotwali area, on Tuesday afternoon, poultry farm operator Nazim and his son Qasim and another person named Inayat, angry over not coming to work, shot five kilograms of liquor on a Dalit and two backward class children. Accused them of stealing wheat and tortured them. During this time, former village head Sanu also threatened the children.
According to the villagers, all three children used to work at Nazim’s poultry farm but they were not coming to work for the last few days. Nazim was angry about this. The children allege that on Tuesday afternoon, Nazim, Qasim and Inayat called them fraudulently and accused them of stealing five kilograms of wheat, beat them with electric wire, strangulated them and shaved the heads of all three. It is alleged that the faces of all three were blackened and ‘thief’ was written on their foreheads and they were paraded around the village with their hands tied. Later, former village head Sanu, who reached the spot, also threatened him.
The villagers allege that the accused have also made a video of the incident with their mobile phone. Inspector Pradeep Singh, in-charge of Kotwali Nanpara, said on Thursday that on the complaint of the children’s family, on Wednesday, sections 115 (2) (assault), 352 (intentional insult), 351 (intimidation), 109 of the Indian Justice Code were registered against the four accused. Nazim, Qasim and Inayat have been arrested after registering a case under Section 3(2) and 3(1) of SC/ST Act (attempt to murder). Former head Sanu is absconding. According to police sources, there is peace in the village but the matter is related to two communities, hence adequate police force has been deployed in the village as a precautionary measure.