Incident during Ramlila in Sonbhadra: 'Rama' shot sharp arrows into 'Ravana's' eye from a distance of 5 feet, savings exhausted on treatment, now receiving death threats
Sonbhadra: A shocking and disturbing incident has come to light from Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. Here, during a Ramlila performance, the interplay of faith and acting turned into lifelong darkness for a Dalit youth. The right eye of 35-year-old Sunil Kumar, who was playing the role of ‘Ravana’ on stage, was completely damaged by an arrow shot by the youth playing the character of ‘Lord Rama’. The victim alleges that this was not merely an accident, but a deliberate attack.
Several months after the incident, an FIR was registered at Shahganj police station on Thursday.
What is the whole matter?
According to the complaint filed with the police, the incident took place on November 13 last year, on the concluding day of the Ramlila festival. The victim, Sunil Kumar, who had been playing the role of Ravana for the past eight years, was busy with his performance on stage. This year, the character of Lord Rama was being played by 22-year-old Naithik Pandey, for whom this was his first year.
Sunil Kumar told the Indian Express, “I have been associated with Ramlila for many years. According to the script, on the last day, Rama has to shoot a wooden arrow at Ravana. The instructions were clear that the arrow would only be aimed at the crown placed on Ravana’s head. But Naithik Pandey did not use the arrow provided by the Ramlila organizing committee.”
It is alleged that Naithik had brought a special sharp arrow made of hardwood with him. During the scene, he was supposed to shoot only one arrow, but he fired several arrows one after another from a very short distance of about 5 feet. One of these arrows hit Sunil directly in his right eye. Savings exhausted in treatment, job also lost
Sunil Kumar, who worked on contract with the municipal corporation, has had his life completely changed after this incident. As soon as the arrow struck, blood started flowing from his eye, and people present at the scene immediately took him to the hospital.
Sharing his pain, Sunil said, “Since the incident, I have undergone two surgeries, but my eyesight has not returned. My treatment is ongoing at a private hospital in Varanasi, which has consumed a large part of my savings. Due to this accident, I have also lost my job. Now, I, my wife, and my three-month-old child are completely dependent on my three brothers for financial support.”
Casteist abuses and death threats
The victim’s brother, Shivam Lal Kumar, has also named Ram Snehi Singh, the Ramlila organizer, as a co-accused in his complaint. The complaint states that the day after the incident, when the victim’s family went to Ram Snehi Singh’s house and said that since the artists were working under his supervision, he should bear the cost of the treatment, they were mistreated.
It is alleged that Ram Snehi Singh and Naitik Pandey not only refused to pay for the treatment but also used “filthy and casteist abuses” against them and threatened to kill them. The victim’s family says that they went to the police immediately after the incident, but due to prioritizing Sunil’s treatment, they could not pursue the case at that time. Recently, when his brother contacted the police again, the case was finally registered.
Police action
Shahganj police station in-charge (SHO) Ram Singhasan informed that the investigation of the case has been handed over to Circle Officer (CO) Rahul Pandey. Currently, no arrests have been made in this case.
The police have registered a case against the accused under sections 125 (endangering the life or personal safety of others), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). In addition, the accused have also been charged under various sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News