The wedding procession of a Dalit man was pelted with stones in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district on Monday.
It is alleged that a crowd consisting of those from another caste, said to be dominant in the village, were objecting to the procession, and to the groom riding a horse.
The incident occurred in Chourai village under Baksaha Police Station limits on Monday. Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi said that the police had reached the village and the procession and other programmes were conducted safely.
A video has also emerged in which a police officer is seen assuring the man that he would be provided cover and was free to take any route that he wished. Mr. Sanghi said that police personnel sustained minor injuries in the incident.
A case was registered against 50 persons under relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.
Incidents where Dalit wedding processions were either blocked or attacked have been reported from villages in Bundelkhand in the past.
Reacting to the incident, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and State Congress chief Kamal Nath accused the ruling BJP of failing to protect Dalits in the State.
A part of his Twitter post on the issue read: “This is not just a matter of a procession but a matter of social justice for the Scheduled Castes. If the [Chief Minister] Shivraj [Singh Chouhan] government cannot give the right to the deprived section of the society to live with respect in the society, then there is nothing left to say about the law and order of the State. I demand from the Chief Minister to take strict action in this matter and run a special campaign for social harmony.”
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