MP: Upper caste villagers pelt stones after dalit groom sits on mare for wedding rituals

Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 6 (ANI): A group of upper caste villagers pelted stones after a dalit groom sat on a mare for performing wedding rituals in which some people, including three police personnel got injured in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district, a police official said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred in Chorai village under Bakswaha police station limits in the district on Monday evening.
"There was a wedding ceremony in dalit community in the district in which the groom was to perform a ritual by sitting on a mare. The people belonging to other communities (referring to upper caste people) protested the act. There was a possibility of a dispute, due to which the police force was already deployed in the village," Chhatarpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Sanghi told ANI.
After performing the rituals of Devi Pujan, the family members of the groom were returning to home in police protection but in the meantime, stones were pelted on them in which three police personnel also sustained injuries, he added.
The official further added that the groom had to take rounds of the village and had to visit temples as a part of tradition, an objection was raised against it, which was illegal.
Following the incident, a case has been registered against 20 named and 30 unknown persons in the matter under various sections, including obstruction in government work. The police launched a search operation and the accused will be arrested soon, SP Sanghi added.
Notably, it is not the first case, there have been many such incidents that have occurred in this area in the past.
Reacting to the incident, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath wrote on twitter, "Despite the presence of the police, the matter of stone pelting on a wedding procession of a Scheduled Caste groom is very serious in Chhatarpur district. Although later the procession was taken out under police protection, but it is a matter of concern why such a thing is being seen again and again in Madhya Pradesh."
"This is not just a matter of a wedding procession but a matter of social justice to the Scheduled Castes. If the BJP-led Shivraj government cannot give the right to the deprived section of the society to live with respect, then there is nothing left to say about the law and order of the state. I demand from the Chief Minister to take strict action in the matter and run a special campaign for social harmony," Nath added. (ANI)