By News Desk
In yet another incident of caste-based discrimination, a wedding celebration for a Dalit groom reportedly turned violent on the night of Wednesday, December 11 after some upper caste members attacked attendees and vandalised horse-drawn carriage.
The incident unfolded in Madhya Pradesh’s Chaurai village under the Jabalpur Naka Police Outpost. The groom who was riding on a horse-drawn carriage during his wedding procession, received animosity from some influential upper caste groups, highlighting traditional practices with entrenched social hierarchies.
According to the reports, amid the wedding celebration, these groups arrived at the scene and vandalized the buggy. The buggy owner and several attendees were also assaulted with sticks, leading to injuries of some people who were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The police were informed with a formal complaint the following morning.
Before the wedding, the buggy owner had received threats from upper-caste community members warning him “Dalits are not allowed to ride a horse-drawn buggy”. However, the groom’s family went ahead with the celebration because leaders of their community had pledged to shield them.
Eyewitness accounts
A relative of the buggy owner, Jaykishan Rajak recounted the incident stating that the wedding attendees were assaulted and thrashed brutally while returning from the celebration. The buggy was broken, the DJ van’s glass shattered and the horse was also beaten mercilessly.
“These attacks not only reflect personal grievances but also broader societal issues and caste prejudice in society”, Rajak said.
This story was originally published in siasat.com. Read the full story here.