A Dalit youth was allegedly brutally thrashed after being kidnapped by five men for not voting in favour of one of them in last year's panchayat elections in Rathiwas village here, police said on Tuesday.
The victim was allegedly also threatened at gunpoint but was later rescued by his parents, who rushed him to a hospital, they said.
On Monday, police registered an FIR against the five accused at Bilaspur Police Station. All five have been absconding since the incident was reported late on Sunday night, and police is trying to nab them, SHO of Bilaspur Police Station Rahul Dev said.
In his complaint, the Dalit youth said two men from the village -- Manish and Monu -- approached him near the village's Hanuman Temple around 10 pm. They told him that Sanjit Rathi, who had contested to be the village sarpanch in Rathiwas, had called him to his house, according to the complaint.
"I refused to go with them but they forcibly took me to Rathi's house, where Deepak and Kalia were also present," the victim said.
"Rathi and the others locked me inside a room and thrashed me with sticks. They also threatened to kill me and used casteist slurs," he said.
Later, pointing a pistol at the victim, Deepak asked why he did not vote for Rathi in the sarpanch election, according to the complaint.
After the victim's parents reached Rathi's house, he was released, it said. "They allowed me to go with my parents who took me to a nearby hospital," the victim said.
After receiving information about the incident, a police team reached the hospital where the youth was admitted.
Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered against all five accused under Sections 323 (causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 342 (wrongful confinement), 365 (kidnapping), 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC, and Section 25 (1-B)(a) of Arms Act and Section 3(i)(R) of SC/ST Act at Bilaspur Police Station.