A mob attacked BJP MP Tarun Vijay and a Dalit leader on Friday after they visited a temple in Chakrata in Uttarakhand.
A mob of at least 2,000 people started throwing stones as Mr. Vijay and Daulat Kunwar, a BSP leader from Chakrata, stepped out of the Silgur Devta temple at Punah-Pokhri village. The mob also damaged Mr. Vijay’s car and pushed it into a gorge. A few policemen were injured in the scuffle and two police vehicles were damaged.
Mr. Vijay was on a campaign to allow Dalits in the temples in the Jaunsar-Bawar region. However, locals said that while Dalits were allowed in the Silgur Devta temple, Mr. Kunwar instigated the mob outside, which led to a scuffle between the villagers and the MP.
“What exactly happened remains unclear, but it is not a case of Dalits not being allowed in the temple. Had that been the case, the MP and Mr. Kunwar would not have been allowed into the temple. But they were attacked after they visited the temple,” Dehradun Superintendent of Police (Rural) T.D. Waila told The Hindu .
