Dalit youth allegedly beaten to death for relationship with upper caste girl in Uttarakhand

Representative image. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

A suspected case of caste-based violence has come to light in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district, where an 18-year-old Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death and his friend seriously injured over his relationship with a minor girl from an upper-caste family. Relatives of the victims alleged that iron nails were found in the body and demanded strict action against those responsible for the act.

According to a copy of the FIR accessed by The Hindu, Dhanpal Lal, a resident of Deval village in Pratapnagar tehsil, received a phone call on the morning of June 8 from a man who identified himself as Yashbir Singh Panwar. The caller allegedly informed Mr. Dhanpal that his son Ketan Lal and his friend Diwakar Dimri remained in the custody of Panwar’s family on Sunday night to Monday.

Beaten black and blue

“The caller told me that he and his family beat my son and his friend black and white and that they were going to throw him in the creek,” according to the complaint, which adds that when he rushed to the scene, he found both his son and his son’s friend seriously injured.

The FIR states that while being taken to the hospital, Ketan Lal told his father that he and his friend were called to the house of the accused around midnight and were allegedly ambushed overnight. The complaint further states that the deceased was targeted as he belonged to the Scheduled Caste community and that both the youths were beaten with sticks, metal rods and other objects. Mr. Dhanpal further claimed that iron nails were driven into his son’s body and that a video documenting the injury was handed over to the police.

Strict action required

The family described the incident as a grave injustice to a member of the Scheduled Caste community and demanded strict action against those responsible for the act.

The police have registered a case under Section 103(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act as well as Section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Tehri Garhwal Superintendent of Police Shweta Chaubey said that an investigation into the allegations is underway.

Published – 09 Jun 2026 09:32 IST