A claim about a 48-year-old Dalit man named Ramesh from Kasganj committing suicide after being publicly humiliated and beaten by the police for sitting on a chair during a Ramleela program is making rounds on X.
Akhilesh Yadav wrote, “The news of a Dalit committing suicide in UP’s Kasganj after he was humiliated and beaten by the police for sitting on a chair near the stage while watching Ramleela is extremely sad and socially worrisome. The hegemonic thinking that is being promoted during the BJP government which is celebrating the so-called Amrit Kaal of Independence is the result of which the audacity to treat PDA in such a disrespectful manner is being shown. The physical humiliation of the PDA community is actually part of a larger psychological conspiracy to mentally weaken the PDA people. It has become a habit of the UP BJP government to cover up such incidents. Highly condemnable! There should be justice!”
उप्र के कासगंज में एक दलित को रामलीला देखते समय, मंच के क़रीब कुर्सी पर बैठने पर पुलिस द्वारा अपमानित व पीटे जाने के बाद उस दलित की आत्महत्या का समाचार बेहद दुखद और सामाजिक रूप से चिंताजनक है। आज़ादी का तथाकथित अमृतकाल मना रही भाजपा सरकार के समय में प्रभुत्ववादी सोच को जो बढ़ावा… pic.twitter.com/jVfIBmHnJZ
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) October 8, 2024
The Dalit Voice wrote, “In UP’s Kasganj, a Dalit committed suicide by hanging himself. He took this step because he was hurt by the beatings and public humiliation by the police. He had gone to see Ramleela in the village. There he sat on a chair.”
#Horrible In UP's Kasganj, a Dalit committed suicide by hanging himself. He took this step because he was hurt by the beatings and public humiliation by the police. He had gone to see Ramleela in the village. There he sat on a chair. pic.twitter.com/Tjo0Zxd684
— The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) October 8, 2024
The Cancer Doctor wrote, “Instead of #BrahminGenes this should be the talk of the day. Two thousand years and still we are living in a society filled with Casteist and regressive ideologies.”
Instead of #BrahminGenes this should be the talk of the day. Two thousand years and still we are living in a society filled with Casteist and regressive ideologies. pic.twitter.com/pi4uLGZEvu
— The Cancer Doctor (@DoctorHussain96) October 8, 2024
Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair retweeted a post from Parth MN, which stated, “A Dalit man in UP hanged himself after being beaten and humiliated for sitting on a chair at a Ramlila event. The police officers were the ones who kicked, punched, and humiliated him.”
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Fact Check
In our fact-check report, we discovered a news segment about the incident on the YouTube channel of UP Tak. The video is titled, “Kasganj Dalit Death News: रामलीला में दलित शख्स कुर्सी पर बैठा तो पिटा और फिर मौत, लेकिन असल कहानी?“
In the video, between the time frame of 1:15 to 1:36, Ramesh is shown sitting on the stage, after which the police arrives and removes him. However, it does not show him being seated on a chair or being beaten and humiliated by the police. In the video, it is clearly visible that he was only removed from the stage.
Further, from 5:06 to 6:14 minutes, villagers stated that Ramesh, in an intoxicated state, climbed onto the stage and created a ruckus. After that, the police removed him, and his family members came and took him away. The villagers also denied the claims that he was beaten.
According to the Amar Ujala report, the Ramleela organizers said that Ramesh had been attending the program in a drunken state for the last 2-3 days. On Sunday night, he was also inebriated and sat in front of the stage. On the orders of the committee members, he was removed from there. There was no incident of him being assaulted.
The Additional Superintendent of Police, Kasganj, Rajesh Bharti, also released a statement in which he said that Ramesh, in an intoxicated state, sat on the stage. He was removed at the request of the organizers and the audience. After that, he left the venue.
दिनांक 07.10.2024 को जनपद के थाना सोरों क्षेत्रांतर्गत रमेशचंद्र पुत्र कन्हैया निवासी ग्राम सलेमपुर बीबी द्वारा फांसी लगाकर आत्महत्या कर लेने के संबंध में श्री राजेश भारती अपर पुलिस अधीक्षक कासगंज द्वारा दी गई बाइट। pic.twitter.com/HFgRfE5UfJ
— KASGANJ POLICE (@kasganjpolice) October 8, 2024
Conclusion: The claim that a 48-year-old Dalit man named Ramesh from Kasganj committed suicide after being beaten by the police for sitting on a chair at a Ramleela program is misleading. The organizers of the program had complained to the police that Ramesh was attending the event in a drunken state and causing a disturbance. As a result, he was removed from the stage. There is no incidence of the police assaulting him.
| Claim | A 48-year-old Dalit man in Kasganj committed suicide after getting beaten by the police for sitting on a chair in Ramleela program. |
| Claimed by | Akhilesh Yadav, The Dalit Voice, Mohammed Zubair, The Cancer Doctor and others. |
| Fact Check | The claim that Ramesh, a 48-year-old Dalit man from Kasganj, committed suicide after police beat him at a Ramlila program is misleading. He was removed for causing a disturbance while intoxicated, but there is no incidence of police assault. |
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