On Wednesday, a group of local Muslims attacked a Dalit wedding procession in the Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh. The attack allegedly took place at 9 PM while the procession was passing in front of a mosque in Pipalarwa village. One person has been killed and several were injured.
Rajesh Malviya, one of the injured men who was a part of the procession, said, “It was all quite sudden. The wedding procession of Shaktiman, who is from Awalataj village of Dewas district, was on its way to the bride’s home. When it was passing in front of a masjid, some people started pelting stones on us, injuring several baaraatis in the attack. This happened right outside the local police station. So a few of us approached the cops for help”. However, the mob continued to attack the Dalits within the police station premises as well.
When the mob attacked Dharmendra Shinde, who was part of the procession, sought to intervene and pacify the mob. Unfortunately, he was killed on the spot after a large stone that was hurled at him hit his head.
Deepak Vaishnav, a Dalit activist said, “Shinde was trying to intervene, asking the mob to calm down. He was actually trying to understand the reason behind their anger, but they appeared in no mood to heed his pleas and attacked him.”
The injured were treated at a local dispensary. Two men who were seriously injured are being treated at a hospital in Dewas and their conditions have stabilised.
It has also been reported that the local Muslims objected to the loud music of the wedding procession and had attacked the wedding party as they refused to comply.
The police have imposed Section 144 in the area and FIR has been registered against 11 identified individuals and several other unidentified men.
“The administration has taken a proactive step to maintain law and order. We have already arrested four people in connection with the attack. We are getting complaints from both parties, and appropriate action is being taken,” said District Collecter Shrikant Pandey. He also added, “the administration is giving immediate relief of Rs 4.12 lakh to the deceased’s family.”
