Tekendra Sunar was beaten mercilessly for entering a Hindu temple in Triveni Municipality in Bajura on Tuesday, police said. His offence was that he is a Dalit who “sullied” the purity of the temple.

Sunar, a resident of Nuwaghar in Bajura, was beaten by two local men—Binod Aidi and Rang Upadhyay. Also among the offenders was Judh Bahadur Aidi, ward chairman of Triveni Municipality-7, according to police. Sunar has sustained serious injuries to his eyes, police said.

Sunar has filed a complaint with the police against the three perpetrators, officials at the District Police Office said. In the complaint, Sunar says that he had visited the Nateshwari Temple to attend the Navratri Puja. Binod and Rang approached him and expressed their displeasure at a Dalit man’s presence at the temple and started to throw away the things Sunar had touched and beat him up mercilessly. The duo were soon joined by Judh Bahadur who also proceeded to physically assault him, states the complaint. The alleged offenders also robbed the Rs60,000 amount that Sunar was carrying with him, according to the complaint.

Surya Bahadur Thapa, chief of the District Police Office, said Judh Bahadur was detained on Wednesday evening and Binod on Thursday. Upadhyay, meanwhile, is on the run.

Both Binod and Judh Bahadur have been denying all the allegations against them, according to Thapa. “A municipality level meeting was held at Triveni Municipality on Wednesday to settle the dispute but Sunar wanted to take legal action against the trio,” Thapa said.

The District Police Office said a case has been filed against the perpetrators under the Racial Discrimination Act and further investigation is underway.