Members of the dominant Brahmin community in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura allegedly stopped the wedding procession of a Dalit family last week, The Times of India reported on Tuesday.
On Sunday night, Mahesh Kumar from Peergarhi village was taking his wedding procession to his bride’s home in Musmuna village, when a tractor-trolley allegedly blocked the way.
The bride’s uncle Vijendra Singh said the tractor belonged to a Brahmin family, who were asked to remove it. “But they did not listen to us,” Singh told the daily. “They used casteist slurs and manhandled our family members.”
The Brahmin family eventually moved the vehicle after the bride’s family called the Uttar Pradesh police on the 100 helpline. But a few youths allegedly stopped the Dalits from playing loud music and snatched away the wedding band’s musical instruments.
“Even we could have retaliated to this grave provocation but we didn’t do so as the wedding ceremony would have got affected,” Singh said, adding that members of the procession went to the bride’s house without the usual fanfare.
He added, “We went to police station on Monday to lodge a complaint but the entire staff was busy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vrindavan, so we came back.” But they returned on Tuesday, he said, adding that the families had reached a compromise after the Brahmins apologised.
Naujheel Police Station House Officer Shyam Singh, however, claimed that the wedding procession was not blocked. The Brahmin family objected to loud music as their children were studying for ongoing examinations, he said.
This incident came a day after a Dalit policeman’s wedding procession was allegedly attacked in Rajasthan’s Dugar village by members of the Rajput community. The police registered a case on Sunday and have detained some people, according to ANI.
Last July, a Dalit groom in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj district took his wedding procession through the streets where mainly upper-caste Thakurs live after facing stiff opposition from local authorities. “This is the 21st century but some don’t think Dalits should have dignity,” the groom, Sanjay Kumar, had then said.
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