On 17th December, several persons attacked a Dalit family in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow following a dispute among children. The case pertained to the Thakurganj police station area where a scheduled caste man named Akash Kumar from Bari Balaganj lodged a complaint in which he stated that anti-caste slurs were hurled and attempts were made to stab him by the accused Zeeshan, Abujar, Nasir and their accomplices.
Taking to OpIndia, the victim identified himself as a Dalit resident in a region where Muslims are in the majority. He mentioned in the complaint that an argument between his family and kids from Zeeshan’s household transpired over an issue, that was resolved through negotiations. However, as he was standing near the Ambedkar pond at around 3:30 pm on the fateful day, the perpetrators reached there and started to fight with him.
Meanwhile, he started moving towards his place when Zeeshan started abusing and threatened, “I’ll kill all of you chamars.” His acquaintances went after Akash Kumar and started pounding and assaulting him as soon as Zeeshan uttered the derogatory words.
Abujar and Nasir pulled out a knife they had concealed and tried to stab Akash Kumar as he struggled to defend himself. Zeeshan once more urged his friends to kill the Dalit man. The horrifying occurrence has left him with significant injuries. A formal case has been filed by the police against Zeeshan, Nasir and Abujar along with several other unidentified individuals, based on the complaint.
OpIndia has obtained a copy of the First Information Report (FIR). All the offenders have been booked under Sections 147, 323, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code along with sections 3(1)(d) and 3(1)(d) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Station House Officer Thakurganj revealed to OpIndia that the accused have been issued challans under Section 151. He added that Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sunil Kumar Sharma is looking into the matter.
We live in Muslim-dominant area
Akash Kumar disclosed that there are a lot of Muslims living close to his home and not many Hindus in the interview with OpIndia. He unveiled that this was not an isolated instance and he faces multiple problems from the Muslim side daily. He disclosed that a child from his family also had serious head wounds on the day of the occurrence. He highlighted that the knife would have penetrated his stomach if his hand hadn’t gotten in the way during the attack. He voiced his expectation that the police would punish the offenders severely in response to his complaint.
Local Muslim leader forcing reconciliation
Akash Kumar conveyed that a local leader of the area named Salim has been repeatedly pressuring him to withdraw the case. He contests the councillor election from their area. However, Akash Kumar divulged that he refused to drop the lawsuit and told Salim what the settlement would have been had he died that day.
