Bhopal: A Dalit boy and girl were lynched for defecating in the open, in a Madhya Pradesh village on Wednesday.
Police investigation suggested that the two men who killed the children, in Bhavkedi village of Shivpuri district, were driven by superstition plus “untouchability”.
Roshni (12) and Avinash (10) were repeatedly clubbed on their heads with bamboo canes by the two suspects, Hakim Singh Yadav (42) and Rameshwar Yadav (40), when they were defecating in the open at around 6.30 in the morning.
The children were grievously wounded, said Shivpuri superintendent of police (SP) Rajesh Singh Chandel. The two later took video of the victims lying in a pool of blood and writhing in pain, police said.
The children were rushed to the Shivpuri district hospital but were declared dead. The accused were arrested and booked for murder, as well as under the SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act.
“It appeared the two accused were mentally deranged,” police said.
The victims’ family told police that the accused prevented them from building a toilet in their home, forcing them to defecate in the open.
