Uttarakhand: Dalit brothers beaten, abused for drinking water at wedding
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Haldwani: Two Dalit youths were allegedly assaulted and subjected to casteist abuse for drinking water from a pot during a wedding ceremony in Uttarakhand’s Gaulapur area, police said on Tuesday.
The incident took place on Sunday evening in Deval Malla village when Shubham, who was operating the DJ system at the function, drank water from a nearby utensil, according to police.
In a complaint lodged at Kathgodam police station, Umesh Chandra Tamta alleged that a group of people began abusing his brother, Shubham, with casteist slurs before physically attacking him.
According to the complaint, around 10 people allegedly assaulted Shubham, leaving him seriously injured. He is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, police said.
Umesh further alleged that he was also attacked when he tried to intervene and was struck on the head with a sharp-edged weapon during the altercation.
Police said a woman was also injured in the incident.
Following the clash, local villagers staged a protest outside the police station and demanded immediate action against those involved.
Meanwhile, the opposing side has filed a counter-complaint, claiming that the allegations of caste-based abuse are false and fabricated.
Kathgodam SHO Vimal Mishra said complaints had been received from both sides and an investigation is underway. Preliminary eyewitness accounts suggest that a fight broke out between the two groups.
“We have detained some people for questioning in connection with the incident. Further action will be taken accordingly,” the officer said.
With PTI inputs