Uttar Pradesh Policemen (Representational photo)  |  Photo Credit: IANS
Lucknow: A clash was reported between members of Thakurs and Dalits communities in the Dhalna village in the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh. The clash was reported on February 15 during a marriage procession of the Dalits.
A complainant of the Thakur community claimed that the baraatis damaged a board bearing the name of Maharana Pratap while passing through a lane in Dhalna village. He also accused the Dalit community members of pelting stones on the Thakurs.
“A baraat of Dalits was passing through a lane on Tuesday night in which a board bearing the name of Maharana Pratap was damaged. But we remained calm. On Wednesday, some 40 men, armed with lathis, attacked our locality, uprooted the damaged board and jumped on it, besides indulging in stone-pelting,” Sanjeev Rana said.
Meanwhile, the Dalits refuted the claims and said that the baraatis were peacefully passing through the lane, but some Thakurs started abusing them and attacked with lathis. Notably, a majority of Thakurs reside in the particular lane.
“Our procession was peacefully passing through the lane where most of the houses belong to the upper caste. They started abusing us and half a dozen men attacked us with lathis,” Vinay Kumar said.
Meanwhile, police have booked 10 people from the Dalit community for rioting, voluntarily causing hurt and breach of peace and other offences.
Based on teh complaint of the Dalit community, complaint, five members of the Thakur community were booked under the SC/ST Act and for rioting and causing violence.
Uttar Police have heightened security to maintain law and order as tension prevailed in Dhalna village.
The Thakur community had convened a panchayat on the clash issue on February 17, however, police swung into action and stopped the panchayat from being organised.
“Heavy police force has been deployed in the village but there is calm now. Both groups have filed FIRs against one another. Some 120 people have been bound by surety bonds, and both groups have been instructed not to indulge in violence,” Santosh Kumar Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bulandshahr, said.