Police in Gujarat resorted to a baton-charge on Sunday after stones were hurled at the wedding procession of a Dalit groom allegedly by upper-caste villagers in Aravalli district, The Indian Express reported.
Police said upper-caste women in Khambhisar village staged a sit-in protest and sang bhajans when the groom was ready for a procession around 5 pm on Sunday, according to Hindustan Times. In retaliation, Dalit women began performing the garba, a form of dance. Tension escalated as stones were hurled at members of both communities.
“Police personnel in large numbers were deployed in the village to ensure that the wedding party continued with its planned celebration,” said Gandhinagar range Inspector General Mayur Chavda. Police dispersed the protestors by resorting to lathi charge. The groom reportedly waited for around four hours for his procession to move.
The groom’s father, Dayabhai, said the procession was not held and a few family members, including the groom, suffered minor injuries in the incident. “We will file a police complaint,” Dayabhai was quoted as saying.
Additional Director General of Police Neerja Gotru said police resorted to lathicharge after the stone-pelting incident. “The [stone-pelting] incident happened when a marriage procession [of Dalits] was passing through the village,” Gotru told The Indian Express. “A havan [ritual] was also going on the main road [and] an incident of stone-pelting was reported following which the police had to resort to lathicharge.”
In another incident, a groom in Sitwada village of Sabarkantha district sought police protection after members of an upper caste allegedly objected to the groom offering prayers at a local temple, PTI reported. Police escorted the groom’s wedding procession, which went off peacefully.
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