Two Dalit men were badly beaten, insulted, and forced to crawl on the road by a mob in Odisha’s Ganjam district after being wrongly accused of smuggling cows, police said on Monday. The incident happened in Khariguma village. The two men, who were from Haripur village, were taking three cows to Singipur. They said the cows were meant to be part of a dowry for a wedding in their family.

They were wrongly accused by some villagers of taking the cows for slaughter or illegal sale. When they refused to give the money the mob allegedly demanded, the group stripped them to the waist, beat them, and shaved their heads, police said. The mob then tied them with ropes, forced them to crawl, and dragged them for about two kilometres from Khariguma to Jahada village. During the attack, as people watched, the men were also made to eat grass and drink sewage water.

They suffered serious injuries to their head and back but managed to escape and reach a police station to file a complaint. Both were later admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police have detained six people so far and are continuing the investigation to catch the others involved.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi strongly condemned the assault on two Dalit men in Odisha, saying the incident reflects the harsh reality of caste-based discrimination in India. He criticised the BJP, accusing the ruling party of failing to protect marginalised communities.

“What happened in Odisha is a reminder that caste injustice still exists,” Gandhi posted on X. “Every such act is an attack on Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution and a threat to equality, justice, and humanity.” He also said such cases are becoming more frequent in BJP-ruled states because of what he described as the party’s politics of hatred and discrimination. Gandhi demanded strict punishment for those involved in the incident.