Overview
- The two Dalit men were tied, stripped and dragged through an agricultural field by villagers on Saturday after being accused of snatching a mobile phone.
- A video of the episode went viral and prompted police to visit the scene, carry out medical examinations that found blunt‑force injuries, and book the men for alleged phone snatching.
- Police registered an FIR on June 7 that names four suspects and lists seven unidentified people, charges include sections of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST Act for offences linked to assault and caste‑based abuse.
- The Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission took suo motu notice and has demanded a report from the Muktsar senior superintendent of police by June 9 to review the case and possible bias in the attack.
- The case highlights the danger of mob justice in rural areas and raises wider questions about caste‑based public humiliation, with the forthcoming police and commission reports likely to determine whether villagers face criminal or administrative penalties.