UP: Dalit food delivery worker abused by customers

Lucknow: Dalit man allegedly faced casteist slurs, was spat upon and beaten up when he went to a home in Aashiyana locality here to deliver a food order, police said on Monday. The customers told him that they cannot accept food touched by a Dalit, according to a complaint lodged with police.

Police have lodged an FIR against two people, including Ajay Singh, a resident of sector H Aashiyana, and 12 unidentified others, they said. The delivery boy, Vineet Kumar Rawat, alleged that on Saturday night when he reached the delivery location, a person came out of the house and asked for his name. He then hurled casteist remarks at him, a police officer said.

Rawat alleged the person refused to cancel the order, spat tobacco juice on his face and thrashed him, the officer said. Reacting to the incident, opposition Samajwadi Party claimed that attacks on Dalits have increased in the state under the BJP government.

After decades, incidents of caste-based violence and mistreatment of Dalits have increased in the state under the BJP rule. People belonging to the same caste as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have misbehaved with a Dalit, the SP tweeted.

Meanwhile, Lucknow Police Commissioner D K Thakur said the matter is being probed and appropriate action will be taken.