The attack took place at a vehicle service centre in Nagaur's Karnu, which falls under the Pachauri police station area

The man lies on the floor. Begging -- no screaming -- for mercy. A man in a blue t-shirt determinedly holds his hand while another has his feet firmly planting on the crying man's legs. Meanwhile, as the man on the floor -- whose pants have been pulled off -- writhes in pain, a third man nonchalantly dips a screwdriver into a bottle of petrol and then proceeds to insert it into the man's rectum.

The man's screams fill the air as the sickening video capturing the brutality ends. The video is of an incident from Rajasthan's Nagaur. The video is a few days old and has now gone viral on social media.

The video is of two young Dalit men being brutally tortured and beaten up in Rajasthan's Nagaur after being accused of theft. The attack took place at a vehicle service centre in Nagaur's Karnu, which falls under the Pachauri police station area. The attack took place on February 16 but police registered a First Information Report (FIR) only on February 19 after videos of the incident went viral.

The two Dalit men had gone to the centre to get their vehicle serviced. There, they were accused of stealing money from the service centre's vault. A group of men then went on to mercilessly beat up and torture the two men.

SEVEN ARRESTED

The police have registered an FIR under sections 342 (for wrongful confinement), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 143 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the SC/ST Act.

Seven accused have been named in the FIR, including Bheemsingh, Aidan Singh, Jassusingh and Sawaisingh. All of them have been arrested.

"Investigation is on... strictest action will be taken against those who were responsible for this incident," Nagaur Superintendent of Police Vikas Pathak said when asked about the attack.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Ghelot reacted to the video, assuring action and saying that seven accused have been arrested over the crime. "In the horrific incident in Nagaur, immediate and effective action has been taken and seven accused have been arrested so far. Nobody will be spared. The culprits will be punished according to the law and we will ensure that the victims get justice," Ghelot said.

In the horrific incident in Nagaur, immediate and effective action has been taken and seven accused have been arrested so far. Nobody will be spared. The culprits will be punished according to the law and we will ensure that the victims get justice. Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) February 20, 2020

Bhanwar Lal, the social welfare minister in the Ashok Gehlot Government, echoed the chief minister and said that the government has sent a team of officials to Nagaur to ensure prompt action. "Government is very serious against this horrific crime ... by sending officials, the government is enabling action in the entire matter," he said.

POLITICS BREAKS OUT

Meanwhile, politics has broken out over the attack on the two Dalit men in Nagaur. As the distressing video of the attack spread widely on Twitter, Congress MP and former party president Rahul Gandhi came under attack over his reaction to the incident.

In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi called the video "horrific and sickening" and said, "I urge the state Government to take immediate action to bring the perpetrators of this shocking crime to justice."

This prompted the Bharatiya Janata Party's I-T department chief Amit Malviya to attack the Congress.

State government? The Chief Minister is also the Home Minister and his name is Ashok Gehlot. Just in case you didn’t know who is responsible for the brutality against Dalits in the state...



Ever since Congress formed govt in Rajasthan, crime against Dalits and women has shot up. https://t.co/zlY2yf7Y1s Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 20, 2020

"State government? The Chief Minister is also the Home Minister and his name is Ashok Gehlot. Just in case you didn't know who is responsible for the brutality against Dalits in the state... Ever since Congress formed govt in Rajasthan, crime against Dalits and women has shot up," Malviya said, while replying to Rahul Gandhi's tweet.