A 22-year-old disc jockey (DJ) and his 24-year-old friend were allegedly forced to perform sexual acts on each other, beaten with belts and sticks and given electric shocks while casteist slurs were hurled at them by nine men, including a history-sheeter, at the birthday party of one of the accused in Nashik last Thursday.
The history-sheeter, identified as Sandesh Kazde, is on the run while eight others have been arrested by the Nashik (Rural) Police. Aside from charges of attempt to murder and rioting, the police have also invoked sections of the Atrocities Act as one of the victims belongs to a Scheduled Caste and was abused along caste lines.
“We have arrested eight accused in the case and should be arresting the ninth accused soon. He is the main accused and has a prior criminal record,” Nashik (Rural) Superintendent of Police Arti Singh told The Indian Express.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Dhole, who is investigating the case, said Kazde had arranged a birthday party for himself at a village some distance away from the main city. He had taken around 30 people with him, including the DJ and his friend, who was to assist him. Dhole said that after the party, Kazde and some others began fighting with the duo over the quality of music. They surrounded the two victims and started beating them with belts and sticks. “The accused then stripped the duo and asked them to perform oral sex on each other even as they looked on. The victims also told us that the accused also gave them electric shocks using a battery kept nearby. We are waiting for the medical report,” Dhole said.
He added that when the accused came to know that one of the victims belonged to a Scheduled Caste, they also hurled casteist slurs at him. The victims finally managed to flee from the spot after the accused — who were highly intoxicated — passed out. They then went to a nearby hospital, which informed the local police station. The police registered an FIR under sections 377 (unnatural offence) and 307 ( attempt to murder) of the Inidan Penal Code as well as relevant sections of the Atrocities Act against the accused.
Between Friday and Saturday, the police arrested eight of the nine accused. “We have information about the ninth accused and should be able to arrest him soon,” Singh said. The arrested accused were produced before a local court which remanded them in police custody for five days.
