The attackers carried firearms, swords, sticks, and iron rods and brutally assaulted the wedding party and hurled casteist slurs
NEW DELHI — A group of armed upper-caste Hindus from the Thakur community attacked a Dalit wedding procession, mercilessly beating the attendees (baraatis) on Tuesday, February 24, in Sunana village of Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district. The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Jawan police station.
Pawan Kumar, father of the groom Anish Kumar, reported that the attackers, armed with firearms, swords, sticks, and iron rods, brutally assaulted them and hurled casteist slurs. He quoted the Thakurs as saying, “How have you mustered so much courage to take out a wedding procession?”
The victims have accused the assailants of caste-based violence and the administration of failing to provide adequate protection.
Pawan Kumar stated that the complaint lodged with the police has not yet been formally registered. “We were on our way to the bride’s house around 9 pm yesterday, February 24, when a group of Thakur men attacked the procession and verbally abused us with casteist remarks. They challenged us, saying, ‘How have you gathered so much courage that you are taking out a wedding procession?'” Kumar recounted.
He further added, “Many of our guests, including the groom, were injured during the attack. We somehow managed to complete the wedding by this (Wednesday) morning.”
The family alleged that the men chased and assaulted the baraatis, fired shots into the air, vandalised the DJ system, and stole valuables from the groom. This incident, they noted, happened despite the family having previously sought security from local police due to fears of violence. They claimed that while protection was initially provided, all police personnel had left by the time the attack took place, raising significant concerns about administrative preparedness and response.
Media reports reaching here on Thursday quoted City Superintendent of Police Mrigank Shekhar Pathak as stating that a case has been registered and statutory proceedings have been initiated. “Complete peace prevails at the scene,” he added.
However, other media reports said the wedding procession came under attack after a dispute over the playing of an alleged caste-based song.
Sub-inspector Ghanshyam Singh, posted at Jawan police station, said in his complaint, “When the procession reached the locality of another community, an objectionable song was played by an unknown member of the marriage procession.
An investigation is expected to determine the sequence of events and identify those responsible.
