Days after Rahul Gandhi's attempt to incite dalits, a labourer chained in cattle shed, tortured in Congress-ruled state

Days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was allegedly heard inciting dalits over Gujarat's Una incident, a news about atrocity on a dalit labourer has surfaced from Rajasthan, state ruled by his party.

It has been a week since a 35-year-old Dalit labourer was allegedly abducted, held captive in a cattle shed and tortured over a monetary dispute in Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan's Bundi district, and the accused are yet to be arrested.

A senior police officer said on Sunday that two teams have been formed to nab the accused.

At a book launch in April in Delhi, Gandhi told a story about his conversation with a Dalit youth who had tried to commit suicide after violence against Dalits in Una in Gujarat. Citing the conversation, he had said, "If my sister had been assaulted I would have stabbed and killed her tormentor before dying."

According to a complaint filed by Radheyshyam Meghwal on May 24, he was abducted by Paramjit Singh and five others on May 22, taken to his home in Alfa Nagar, chained in a cattle shade and tortured for nearly 31 hours till his younger brother freed him.

The police said a monetary dispute was behind the incident.

Meghwal, a resident of Biluba village in the Talera police station area of the district, was hired by Singh to work in his farmhouse three years ago with an advance payment of Rs 70,000. Subsequently, Meghwal borrowed Rs 30,000 from Singh for his sister's marriage.

Meghwal said he had repaid Rs 50,000 and worked at Singh's farmhouse for 10 days without any payment and could not pay back the rest. However, Singh later claimed that Meghwal owed him Rs 1,10,000 and put pressure on him to pay back the amount.

Singh, his brother and four others then abducted Meghwal to get back the money. They chained him at a cattle shed, tortured him and did not give him any food and water, according to the complaint filed with the police. Later Meghwal's brother repaid some money to Singh and freed his brother.

Based on the complaint filed by the labourer, the police lodged a case under relevant sections of the IPC and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Singh and five others, Deputy Superintendent of Police Shankar Lal said.

Efforts are underway to nab the accused, the police officer added.