Bhopal: Twenty-five-year-old Lacchi Ahirwar, who belongs to a Dalit community in Bharatpura village of Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur, got married on June 28, 2023.
Putting together a peaceful wedding ceremony was no easy feat – and not for the reasons usually associated with large scale events.
A day before the wedding, when families are usually busy with festivities, Lacchi’s family were rushing to submit an application with the Bijawar police station, expressing concern over threats to disrupt their wedding procession the day after.
Luckily for Lacchi, police were prompt in action. The wedding was concluded without any violence.
The fear felt by Lacchi’s family is not isolated. Caste discrimination, deeply rooted across the state, means that whenever Dalit people arrange for wedding processions, including a horse on which a groom traditionally rides, they are met with threats, bullying, harassment and physical assault by ‘upper’ caste neighbours.
Lacchi, for instance, rode a horse from Bhargua village to Ghinauchi village. Police accompanied him for the whole journey.
The family were especially apprehensive because recently in a nearby village, ‘upper’ caste villagers pelted stones at the wedding procession of a Dalit man, objecting to the procession and fact that the groom rode a horse. In Lacchi’s case, town inspector of Bijawar police station, personally visited the wedding venue to ensure no untoward incidents were caused.
Also read: Gujarat: ‘Upper’ Caste Men Attack Dalit Wedding Procession Over Members Wearing Turbans
Inspector Swaroop Upadhyay stated, “We ensured that there was peace throughout the wedding. I personally visited the wedding location to assess any potential disruptions. We also provided security to the family to prevent any disturbances from occurring.”
Lacchi Ahirwar on a horse in his wedding procession. Photo: By arrangement.
Mukesh Ahirwar, the former district president of the Bhim Army and Azad Samaj Party in Chhatarpur, says that in many villages of the area, Dalit women are still not allowed to put on footwear or sit on the porches of their own houses. Mukesh said that even though Lacchi’s wedding was peaceful, police usually deny permission for Dalit events like Ravidas Jayanti or Ambedkar Jayanti. Permission for Hanuman Jayanti or Ram Navami in granted quickly, in comparison.
Mukesh says police are also lax on registering cases of atrocities on Dalits.
“A Dalit man was killed near my village of Bamitha by a group of ‘upper’ caste people. The police did not register an FIR. It has been alleged that local Bharatiya Janata Party leaders prevent cases from being filed against their supporters,” Mukesh claimed.
Additionally, Mukesh expressed concern about the frequent hate speech targeting Dalits by Pandit Dhirendra Shastri at Bhageshwar Dham which is situated in Chhatarpur.
All of this creates a sense of impunity among those who prevent Dalit grooms from taking out processions to their wedding venues.
Also read: Brahmin Family Allegedly Blocks Wedding Procession of Dalit Groom in Uttar Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh surpasses national average in crimes against Dalit people
According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Madhya Pradesh had the highest crime rate against Dalits, surpassing other states such as Uttar Pradesh. Compared to the five-year average from 2016 to 2020, Madhya Pradesh witnessed a disturbing rise in the crime rate against Scheduled Castes (SCs) in 2021. Madhya Pradesh, alongside Rajasthan, displayed the greatest escalation in crimes against Dalits.
It is worth noting that the NCRB’s counting of crimes against Dalits includes only cases filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, commonly known as the SC/ST Act. This exclusion means that incidents reported solely under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertain to crimes against SCs committed by SC/ST individuals, are not accounted for in these statistics.
Overall, the NCRB’s latest report reveals that Madhya Pradesh recorded a substantial surge in crimes against Dalits in 2021. The state’s crime rate against Dalits was more than twice the national average, highlighting the urgent need for measures to address this issue.
Meanwhile, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan recently addressed a large Dalit gathering in Gwalior, as part of BJP’s efforts to attract Dalit votes for the upcoming state elections. He announced the formation of welfare boards for sub castes and pledged to grant ministerial status to their chairpersons. He also assured the eradication of manual scavenging by introducing mechanised cleaning systems and offering subsidies to encourage young individuals from the community to start their own businesses.
Akansha Deshmukh is a Bhopal-based investigative journalist who focuses on serious crimes and political corruption. She can be reached at deshmukhakansha4@gmail.com.
