Chennai, February 16: In yet another incident of lynching, a Dalit man was beaten to death by a mob in Tamil Nadu. The lynching took place in Chennai's Villupuram town on February 12. According to reports, a mob killed 24-year-old R Sakthivel when he had allegedly stopped by at S Pudhur village to defecate. Police arrested seven accused and Sakthivel's family termed his murder a caste-based crime. Mob Lynching in Kolkata: Labourer Beaten to Death Over Suspicion of Theft in Howrah.

Sakthivel was on his way to work when he reportedly stopped at an open field to defecate. A woman noticed him and alleged that he had flashed at her. She started yelling and called others. Seeing a number of people approaching, Sakthivel tried to flee but was caught. The mob tied his hands and feet and started thrashing him. According to a report by India Today, Periyathachur Sub-inspector Vinoth reached the spot when police were informed.

Instead of taking Sakthivel to a hospital, Vinoth asked him to appear for inquiry the next day, the report added. Sakthivel's sister, Theivanai, then reached the spot after some time and took him back home. According to her, Sakthivel fell unconscious and died in a few hours. She then lodged a complaint after which seven accused were arrested. Sakthivel's Dalit identity was the only reason why the group of people from Vanniyar caste had turned violent, Theivanai alleged.

"Sakthivel was wearing pants and so he had to remove them completely in order to defecate. After he had cleaned up and before he wore his pants is when the woman had seen him and perhaps mistook his intent," Lalitha, coordinator of Villupuram based NGO Social Awareness Society for Youths, told The News Minute.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2020 12:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).