On 17th August, a Dalit man identified as Suraj was found hanging from a tree in Fatehganj West of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Notably, his dead body was discovered only six days after he allegedly eloped with a 16-year-old minor girl from a Muslim community. In a complaint to the police, Suraj’s family alleged that the relatives of the minor girl killed him.
Speaking to media, Additional Superintendent of Police (Bareilly), Mukesh Chandra Mishra, said, “Suraj had eloped with a minor and was living in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. The girl’s family had lodged an FIR under sections of abduction against him. After the girl was found, her statement was recorded by police on Friday. On Saturday, Suraj was found hanging from a tree on the village outskirts where his uncle lives. His body was handed over to the family after autopsy and the kin was assured of strict action against culprits.”
Reports suggest that Suraj was working in Rudrapur, Uttrakhand, at a private firm and the girl was living with him. An FIR has been registered under Sections 191-2 (rioting), 103-1 (murder), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), 352 (intentional insult) and 351-2 (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with the SC/ST Act against 10 persons. The investigation into the matter is underway.
SP Mishra said, “Action will be taken as per the evidence collected and findings of the autopsy report. We’ve deployed police personnel in the village to maintain peace.” Father of the girl Chuttan, her brother Tasleem, Irshad Hussain Patrkar, Ashfaq, Rehman and others have been named as accused in the FIR.
Accusing the family of the minor girl’s kin of honour killing, several villagers and Hindu activists gathered where Suraj’s dead body was found and demanded strict action in the matter.
Cases involving Dalits and Muslim community spiked in recent times
the Kushinagar police in Uttar Pradesh arrested a Maulvi on charges of rape and illegal conversion of a minor Dalit girl. The arrest came after the mother of the victim lodged a complaint against the Muslim cleric on 8th August, 2024. In her complaint, she accused Maulana Muhammad Owais, a resident of West Bengal, of kidnapping, rape and illegal conversion of her daughter. Maulana Muhammad Owais has been teaching in a Madarsa in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh for the past two years.
On 9th August, people from the Dalit community accused a Muslim mob of attacking them with weapons and brutally assaulting them. It is also alleged that the accused hurled casteist abuses at them and threatened to kill them. During the attack, the accused also targeted a woman. 3 people have suffered serious injuries in the attack and they have been admitted to the hospital. Based on the complaints of the victims, the Police registered a case against 5 accused including Ishaq, Sahil and Asghar.
The conflict between Dalit and Muslim community has also surfaced several times in educational institutes. On 15th July, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Professor Nazim Hussain Al Jafri, Mohammad Nasim Haidar and Professor Shahid Tasleem of Jamia Millia Islamia University under Sections 3(1)(p) and 3(1)(q) of the SC/ST Act. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Ram Niwas Singh who was working as an Assistant in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University. OpIndia accessed copy of FIR. Nazim Hussain Al-Jafri is the Official Registrar, Nasim Haider is the Deputy Registrar and Shahid Tasleem is a professor at the University. Ram Niwas Singh, who is a Dalit employee at the University, has accused them of misconduct including hurling caste-based slurs against him, dehumanising treatment and forcing him to convert to Islam. In his complaint, Ram Niwas Singh accused Al-Jafri of using castiest slurs. During a meeting, he told Ram Niwas Singh, “You belong to a lower caste, you are a Bhangi, and you should remain as such. People like you get jobs based on reservations but still do not know their place. Do not forget that Jamia is a Muslim university, and your job is at our mercy.”
