Steaming ‘dal’ was poured on a Dalit woman and her six-month-old daughter while several others were beaten up for allowing their children to play in the premises of a temple here, police said on Saturday.

Ramavtar Yadav, a retired railway employee, and his three sons scalded the woman and her child and beat up three women and some children here, on the outskirts of Patna, on Friday.

On Friday morning, some Dalit children, belonging to musahar caste (lowest among the Dalits), were playing inside the premises of Devi temple in the village. Ramavtar objected to this and roughed up the children. Later, their parents arrived at the spot and had an altercation with Yadav. The Dalits thought that the matter was sorted out. But in the evening, Ramavtar with his sons—Dinesh, Umesh and Sanjay—barged into the house of Gyanti Devi who was cooking at that time with infant daughter Sarita in her lap. The accused then picked up the utensil and poured the steaming ‘dal’ on her back, some of which spilled onto the child. Sarita received injuries on her face and hand. Gyanti was targeted as she had protested loudly when her other kids were being roughed up by Ramavtar in the morning.

They subsequently also beat up three Dalit women identified as Gauri, Kamla and Usha, besides some children who were playing in the temple premises.

A case under the Atrocities on Scheduled Castes (Prevention) Act was registered against the attackers, SP (Rural) Upendra Kumar Sinha said. Ramavtar was arrested and efforts were on to apprehend his three sons who are on the run.