UP: Group attack Dalit family for holding wedding ceremony in hall

A group of men allegedly attacked a Dalit family with sticks and rods for holding a wedding ceremony in a hall in Rasra, Uttar Pradesh, police said on Sunday, 1 June.

Two persons were seriously injured in the incident on Friday, they said.

“Being from a Dalit community, how can you hold a wedding in a hall?” the attackers allegedly said, as per the FIR lodged in the matter.

No arrests have been made so far in this connection.

The FIR based on a complaint by one of the victim's brother, Raghvendra Gautam, said a group of around 20 armed with sticks and rods stormed Swayamvar Marriage Hall around 10.30 pm and attacked those who were holding a wedding there.

The group was led by Aman Sahni, Deepak Sahni, Rahul, and Akhilesh, he said. There were 15-20 other unidentified people from the Mallah Toli locality, the complainant said.

According to the FIR, the accused allegedly hurled caste-based slurs and objected to the wedding being held at a marriage hall before launching an "assault".

Gautam’s relatives, Ajay Kumar and Manan Kant, sustained serious injuries in the attack.

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Rasra Police Station in-charge Vipin Singh said an investigation is underway.