Gurgaon: Upper caste men beat Dalits as they outperform Yadavs in kabaddi

Gurgaon: A friendly game of kabaddi held to promote inter-caste harmony in Gurgaon went horribly wrong after the Dalit team was thrashed by upper caste men, when they outperformed the rival team.

According to reports, trouble began when the Dalits took a lead against the team of Yadavs and soon angry spectators started firing shots in the air and assaulting them with bamboo sticks.

The kabaddi tournament was organised by the community head to promote friendly ties between various castes on the occassion of India's 70th of Independence Day.

Close to 40 teams from across Delhi-NCR region were invited to play and the teams included other castes like Gurjars, Jats and Agarwals, to name a few.

Eyewitnesses say that the men beat up even those who tried to intervene and stop the violence. Four Dalits were seriously injured in the scuffle.

"They said, 'how can you low cast people win against us? We'll leave you in such a state that you can never play again'," Raju, a Dalit player who was thrashed by the men was quoted in a report.

While some residents said that inter-caste clashes between Dalits and Yadav are not uncommon in the area, the local councillor claimed that caste had nothing to do with the violence.

According to the councillor it was just a unfortunate co-incidence that the members who were beaten up were from the same caste.

A complaint has been filed over the incident and the police are investigating the case. No arrests have been made so far.