“They asked Rakesh why he was there and slapped him. When Rakesh told my brother that the family members had beaten him…”
Two Dalit brothers were allegedly attacked and subjected to casteist slurs during a wedding ceremony in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, following a dispute over drinking water from a water pot.
According to the Indian Express report, one of the brothers has filed a complaint, but an FIR has not yet been registered. Police say the matter is being investigated.
According to the complaint filed by Umesh Tamta, his brother Shubham and relatives Rakesh Arya and Ajay Arya had gone to operate the DJ system at a wedding in Deval Malla village on Sunday night. When Rakesh Arya went to drink water from a water pot, he was allegedly attacked by the groom’s family.
Tamta told the Indian Express, “They asked Rakesh why he was there and slapped him. When Rakesh told my brother that his family members had beaten him, Shubham went to the house to talk to them. He slapped a young man present there, after which the young man called his uncle and friends and started attacking Shubham. Caste-related abuses were also hurled at him.”
Shubham was reportedly kicked and punched on his face and body and is currently hospitalized. When Tamta learned of the incident, he rushed to the spot, where he was allegedly attacked with a sharp weapon on his head.
Tamta alleged, “I asked them why they were beating my brother. They said Shubham had hit his brother and then attacked my head with a rod. While my head was bleeding, another man tried to strangle me. I pleaded with them to stop, and I felt like I was breathing my last. Then someone intervened and stopped them. We were also subjected to casteist abuse.”
The family claims that Tamta suffered a serious head injury, while his brother suffered a spinal fracture. Both have been admitted to a private hospital in the city. The complaint seeks action under sections of the attempt to murder and the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Following the incident, local residents and Tamta’s family protested outside the police station, demanding the arrest of the accused.
Police said the matter is being investigated and a counter-complaint has been received from the other party, alleging that their mother was injured in the incident. Officials from the Kathgodam police station said four people have been detained under Section 172 of the BNSS.
Police said, “We are investigating the incident and statements from both parties have been recorded. We are trying to determine what led to the incident and whether the violence was caste-based.”
Courtesy: Hindi News