2 backward caste boys paraded naked for bathing in farmer's well

Two minor boys from a backward community were allegedly beaten up and paraded naked in a village in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district for swimming in a well that belonged to a person of a different caste, police said today.

The teenagers were paraded by two men, one of whom owned the well.

Police have arrested the men, identified as Ishwar Joshi and Prahlad Lohar, in connection with the incident.

The matter came to light when a video of the alleged assault and stripping of the boys went viral on the social media on June 10.

The clip purportedly shows the two boys -- aged 15 and 16 -- being beaten up with a belt and paraded naked in Pahur village in Jamner taluka by the accused duo, a local police official said.

The boys had gone for a swim in the well belonging to Joshi, a farmer, in Wakadi village around 3 pm on June 10.

"While returning home after swimming, both the teenagers were caught by Joshi and his farm worker Prahlad Lohar," he said.

Joshi and Lohar allegedly started abusing the duo, stripped them off their clothes and started beating them with a belt, the official said.

According to the official, the cries of the boys to spare them fell on deaf ears.

He said the boys were paraded naked in the village while one of the accused used his mobile phone to film the incident and circulate it on social media.

The parents of the boys came to know about the incident after the video went viral, following which they approached the Pahur police.

On the complaint of the father of one of the victims, Joshi and Lohar were booked under sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC, said the officer.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Keshav Pathond told PTI that Joshi and Lohar were also booked under the Atrocity Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and section 67 (B) of the Information and Technology Act.

They were arrested on the night of June 10 and produced before local court on June 11, which sent them to judicial remand.