Nashik: The Nashik (rural) police arrested eight men out of a gang of nine for assaulting a 22-year-old disc jockey (DJ) and his 24-year-old friend and forcing them to perform sexual acts on each other at the birthday of one of the accused last Thursday. The accused were celebrating one of their member’s birthday, said to be a history-sheeter, when they beat the duo with belts and sticks, gave electric shocks and verbally abused them with castist slurs, The Indian Express reported.

According to the police, the history-sheeter, identified as Sandesh Kazde is absconding and the arrested has been booked with attempt to murder and rioting along with being charged under the sections of the Atrocities Act as one of the victims who belonged to the Scheduled Caste, abused with castist slurs. The police registered an FIR against the accused under sections 377 (unnatural sex) and 307 of the Indian Penal Code.