By Shafaque Alam
Tension prevailed in Kanpur village under the Rabupura police station limits after some members of a Dalit family were allegedly attacked by members of another community over taking out a procession in honour of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on Sunday. Police on Monday arrested three persons for allegedly assaulting the Dalit community members.
Police said that a group of Dalits were carrying out the procession. When the procession reached the area where people belonging to an upper caste live, some people from the other community objected to the procession and asked them to return. An argument ensued between the two communities and the procession dispersed, police said.
However, some people of the other community later barged into the house of a Dalit man and attacked him and his family members, said Dinesh Kumar Yadav, station house officer of Rabupura police station.
A Bhim Army member, Bachchan (uses single name), filed a complaint at Rabupura police station on Sunday.
The victim, 40, his wife, 38, and two sons aged 18 and 20 received serious injuries, police said, adding that the woman victim was also molested by the suspects.
“Three others escaped with minor injuries. A case was registered against 10 named and some unnamed people under sections 147 (rioting), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and also under section 3(1) of SC/ST Act,” the SHO said.
On Monday, police conducted a search and arrested three suspects – Raj Kumar, 52, Manish Kumar, 30 and Sumit, 28 – from Kanpur village.
Chandra Shekhar Aazad, Bhim Army founder, tweeted some photos of the injured victims and demanded action against the suspects involved in the crime. “Members of ‘Thakur’ community assaulted a group of Dalits for holding a meeting on Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Several people, including women, are injured,” he tweeted.
A police team has been deployed in the village to maintain law and order, officials said. “The suspects were produced in court that sent them to judicial custody. We are conducting searches to arrest more people involved in the crime,” Yadav said.
This story first appeared on hindustantimes.com