Bhopal: Days after the Dalits in Gujarat’s Mehsana came under the threat of a social boycott after a man from the community rode a horse at his wedding there, a similar such incident has surfaced in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow tehsil – the birthplace of Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
A Dalit bridegroom was on Tuesday night attacked for riding a horse and burning crackers during a wedding procession. According to the police, the incident took place at Datoda village, about 15 kms away from Indore district.
According to an FIR filed by the victim, one Rohan Chouhan at the Simrol police station, men from an ‘upper-caste’ community in the same village objected to his riding a horse during his wedding procession and asked him not to burn crackers in front of their homes.
When the baratis protested, the miscreants, armed with sticks and iron roads, attacked the marriage procession and beat up the groom and his relatives. As per the complaint, there were two dozen attackers.
Subsequently, the groom, a resident of Nemawar road in Indore rushed to the Simrol police station with his relatives and a case was registered under sections 341, 294, 323, 506 and 34 of the IPC.
Also read: Upper Caste Men Attack Dalit Groom for Riding Horse in Rajasthan
Later, Chouhan, along with his relatives, left for Datoda village and held the wedding under police protection.
Dissatisfied with police action, the next day, Chouhan – along with his relatives and members of the Bhim Army – met with the deputy inspector general of police and the additional director general of police in Indore, and demanded strict action against the attackers and the imposition of the SC/ST Atrocities Act section in the case.
The subsequent day, the police arrested four accused belonging to the Rajput community and booked them under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.
Confirming it, the town inspector of Simrol police station, R.K. Nain said, “After the inclusion of SC/ST Atrocities Act sections in the FIR, we have arrested four persons of upper caste and sent to the court.”
Kashif Kakvi is a Delhi-based journalist who reports on Madhya Pradesh. He tweets @KashifKakvi.