A family in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district left their home after they were allegedly beaten up by people for using a hand pump, PTI reported on Monday, quoting a family member.

Station House Officer Narendra Pratap Singh said that they have booked three people in the case but have no information about the family leaving their home.

In a first information report lodged at the Bisanda police station, Ramchandra Raidas alleged that family members of Ram Dayal Yadav attacked him with sticks when he went to take water from the hand pump on December 25. Raidas sustained injuries in the attack and was admitted to a primary health centre, the police said.

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Raidas, the head of the family, said that they left in fear of the accused and were now living in a farm after building a hut, according to NDTV Khabar. “The accused threatened to burn us alive by setting the fire on our house, Raidas said. “In fear of this, we have left the house.”

Raidas alleged that the police have not started an inquiry into the case. “The accused are roaming around freely and threatening to kill us,” he said. The 45-year-old Dalit man also accused the police of hiding the facts of the case and filing the case under normal sections of the law, adding that the injuries sustained by his father were not mentioned in the FIR.

Dismissing the allegations, Station House Officer Singh said the matter was a simple case of assault and that the circle officer in Baberu town was investigating it. “Any arrest or further action will be taken by the circle officer,” Singh said.

Singh said that Raidas also alleged that two months ago the accused had asked members of the Dalit community not to fetch water from the hand pump installed in a locality where the Yadav community is in majority. The matter was however resolved following intervention by a local government official.