Dalit groom attacked for riding horse in UP

Agra, May 11 (IANS) A 22-year-old Dalit groom was allegedly beaten with rods and sticks, and forced to dismount the horse, while several women in the wedding procession were attacked and molested by a group of upper caste men here.Though the incident took place on the night of May 4 in Sohalla area under Sadar Bazar police station of the city, an FIR was lodged on Tuesday on a complaint by the groom's mother-in-law, Geeta Devi."When my son-in-law, Ajay Kumar, along with other guests entered the Radhakrishna marriage hall where the wedding was to be held, they were attacked by around 20-25 men, mainly Thakurs, who hurled casteist slurs and said 'Dalits grooms in our village do not ride horses, how dare you?' They also snapped the power supply three-four times and molested women at the venue," Geeta stated in the FIR.A case has been registered against four named accused and several unidentified persons under the SC/ST Act.On Thursday, a senior police official said that the matter was being investigated and action would be taken accordingly.
--IANS amita/shb/

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