Six-year-old Dali girl beaten up by Indian police

New Delhi - Two policemen were suspended from their jobs Tuesday for beating up a 6-year-old Dalit girl for allegedly stealing 280 rupees (less than 6 dollars) in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state, news reports said-The incident, which was caught on camera, showed the station officer of Jaswantpur area in Etawah town grabbing and lifting the tiny low-caste girl by her hair and threatening her while another officer and at least six policemen looked on. Brij Lal, Uttar Pradesh's additional director general of police, said the department was taking a serious view of the incident and a criminal case had been lodged against two policemen, who were suspended, NDTV television channel reported. Several national and regional channels showed the images as top news in their morning bulletins. While local police claimed the girl had confessed and the money had been returned to the owner, her mother lodged a complaint against the policemen. Uttar Pradesh is currently governed by the Bahujan Samaj Party which was formed in 1984 to represent the rights of Dalits, and other castes and tribes that are at the bottom of India's ancient caste system. Dalits were traditionally regarded as outcasts in Indian society. (dpa)