“Two men have been booked for allegedly assaulting a Dalit man over his staying and offering prayers at a Kali temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district,” police said on Monday (October 19, 2026).

“A case was registered late Sunday night at Rasra police station against Vishal Singh and Ankit Singh under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint lodged by Nageena Ram, a resident of Sardaspur village,” they said.

According to the complaint, he lives at the village's Kali temple and offers prayers there. The two accused allegedly abused him using caste-based slurs and assaulted him on Sunday evening (October 18, 2026) over the issue.

“When people working in a nearby field came to the spot, the accused allegedly locked Ram inside the temple premises. They later went to his house and threatened to kill him,” the complaint said. Rasra police station in-charge Sushil Kumar said a case had been registered and an investigation was under way. “Necessary legal action would be taken in the matter,” he added.