Soon after OpIndia exclusively reported about an assault of a Dalit couple at the hands of Zubair, Ansar, Imtiyaz, Kamil, Jabir, and Shakil in Mewat region of Haryana, the Nuh Police took cognisance of the incident and filed an FIR in the case. The sections imposed by the police on the accused persons are 147, 148, 323, 341, 294, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Further, relevant sections of the SC-ST Act, 1989 have been added to the complaint.
The incident was reported on June 18th exclusively by OpIndia after Zubair, Ansar, Imtiyaz, Kamil, Jabir, and Shakil along with their accomplices brutally assaulted a Dalit couple. The case pertains to the Bichhor police station area of Nuh. Archana Sagar, the victim, filed a police complaint on Sunday, 16th June, which has now been registered as an FIR after OpIndia’s report.
In her complaint, Archana stated that on 16th June, she was coming to her parent’s house in Jharokadi village from her in-laws’ residence. She was accompanied by her husband Parveen Rai. As soon as they reached the Badi masjid in the village, Zubair, Ansar, Imtiyaz, Kamil, Jabir, and Shakil stopped their car. Three other unknown persons were also reportedly with them. Later, they pulled Archana out of the car. The assailants started assaulting and kicking Archana’s husband Parveen.
The complaint further states that the accused tore Archana’s clothes shortly after that. The victim called her father, Dalchand, for help. At that time, the accused gathered and assaulted the girl’s father and other relatives who had rushed to the spot to help the victim couple. By then, the number of attackers had reached around 20. Seeing the family being beaten, Archana’s brother also arrived to intervene, but he too was beaten.
The victim stated that during the assault, the perpetrators hurled abuses and casteist slurs at her. The attackers said, “You Cha**o, how dare you sit in the car and pass in front of us? Cha**o, do whatever you can!” The victim then dialed 112 to call the police for help. Seeing the police arrive, the accused fled from there.
OpIndia talked to the brother of the victim who has demanded strict action against all the attackers in his complaint. The victim and her family thanked OpIndia for its extensive reporting of the case and said that the police procedure began only after the incident was reported by the media.
He also confirmed that the police had been delaying filing the complaint, but now after the media report by OpIndia, the FIR has been filed and the investigation has begun.
Earlier, OpIndia had talked to Archana, who had told us that she got married in May 2024 and the incident happened when she was visiting her parent’s house for the first time with her husband. On the way, a bike belonging to a young man from the Muslim community collided with her car on a narrow road in the village. However, neither side suffered any significant damage, and they continued on their respective paths. Archana claims that this incident led to the assault on her and her husband.
Archana described her village as Muslim-dominated, stating that about 90% of the population belongs to the Muslim community, which holds dominance. Archana, an M.Sc. graduate, mentioned that they belong to the Dalit community, which she attributes as the main reason for the resentment of Muslims towards them. The victim stated that the majority of Muslims in the village disapprove of people from the Scheduled Caste community traveling by car and pursuing higher education.
She also told us that because of the assault, her husband is in depression now. The married couple sustained injuries for which they are undergoing treatment.