The man beaten to death while sitting down to eat "where he should not"

A member of the "untouchable" community of India, the lowest rung of the Hindu caste hierarchy, has died as a result of a group of upper caste men who have banged for sitting to eat in front of a wedding.

An irreversible anger invades the Dalit community, formerly known as "untouchables", in the remote village of Kot in northern India.

As they say, last month, a group of upper caste men beat a 21-year-old Dalit member, named Jitendra.

The boy was so hurt that he died nine days later.

His alleged crime? Sit on a chair and eat in front of them at a wedding. None of the hundreds of guests who attended the wedding ceremony, in which the groom was also dalit, dared to talk about what happened to Jitendra on April 26th.

Fearing possible violent retaliation, they only admit their presence in a big conspiracy where the wedding banquet is held.

Only the police spoke publicly about what happened.

The wedding food had been prepared by members of the upper caste. Indeed, many people in remote areas of India do not receive any food prepared by Dalits, which is the final step in the rigid hierarchy of Hindu castes.

"The fight started as food was being served and controversy had erupted over who was sitting in the chair," said police officer Ashok Kumar.

The police recorded the incident under the law against atrocities against castes and tribes, designed to protect historically oppressed communities.

For generations, the Hindu caste has publicly shamed Dalits.

Dalits continue to be victims of widespread atrocities throughout the country, and any attempt to climb the ladder of the social hierarchy is violently repressed.

For example, in May, four parades of untouchables in the marriage – they are also called Dalits, or pariahs – were attacked in the western state of Gujarat.

And information about untouchables who are threatened, beaten and killed for seemingly trivial reasons is still commonplace.

The culture that permeates the community is visible everywhere, including in Kot, in the state of Uttarakhand, in the north of the country.

Local members of the Dalit community say that Jitendra was beaten and humiliated at the wedding.

They claim that he left the holiday crying, but that shortly thereafter he was ambushed and they attacked him again, this time with more brutality.

Jitendra's mother, Geeta Devi, was found injured in front of her crumbling house the next morning.

"Maybe he spent the night there," he said pointing to where he'd found it. "He had bruises and marks of wounds all over his body, he tried to talk but he could not."

The woman does not know who left her son outside his home. Jitendra died nine days later at the hospital.

The death of the boy is a double tragedy for the mother: her husband also died almost five years ago.

This means that Jitendra, who was a carpenter, became the only breadwinner in the family and had to leave school to get to work.

His family and friends describe him as a discreet child who speaks very little.

His relatives claimed justice for his death, but they found little support in the community.

"There is fear, the family lives in a remote area, has no land and is economically vulnerable," said Jabar Singh Verma, a Dalit activist.

Of the 50 families living in the city of Jitendra, only 12 or 13 are dalits.

"In the surrounding villages, there are also more families of high castes than Dalits," added the activist.

Dalits make up nearly 19% of the population of the Uttarakhand region, which has a long history of atrocities against them.

Police have arrested seven men in connection with Jitendra's death, but all deny any involvement in the case.

"It's a conspiracy against our family," said a woman whose parents, uncles and brothers are among the defendants. "Why should my father fight for caste reasons in the marriage of a Dalit?"

"He must have been ashamed of being beaten and taking dozens of pills that led to death," said another top official of the locality.

But the "untouchables" of the village, furious at Jitendra's death, categorically deny these accusations.

They say that Jitendra was suffering from epilepsy, but they insist that it is impossible for her to take an overdose of medication.

Apart from these statements, local Dalit families have remained largely silent.

"It's because they economically depend on upper caste families," said militant Daulat Kunwar.

"Most Dalits do not have land, they work in the fields of their rich neighbors and upper caste, they know the consequences of the conversation," he adds.

Jitendra's family has already suffered some of these consequences: the mother badures that she is under pressure to stop searching for the truth.

"Men came to our house and tried to scare us," said the woman. "Nobody supports us, but I will never give up our pursuit of justice."