Dalit groom’s house attacked after he rides a horse to his wedding; 10 arrested

The 10 people arrested in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district for an attack on a Dalit family to punish them because the bridegroom rode a horse to his wedding on Sunday.

Published on: Jan 24, 2022, 23:14:10 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: A Dalit groom rode the horse to his wedding under police protection in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday but a group of so-called upper caste men in the village eventually got back at him. His house was attacked and a car was vandalised by the group, police said.

Ten people have been arrested in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district for allegedly attacking the house of a Dalit bridgegroom who rode a horse to his wedding on Monday under police protection. (Getty Images)

On Monday, authorities in Sagar district, 150km from state capital Bhopal, said 10 people have been arrested after the groom, Dilip Ahirwar, filed a first information report (FIR) under the Dalit atrocities law. The FIR accuses a group of 20 people led by Dharmendra Lodhi for the attack and humiliated meted out to the family.

Additional superintendent of police Vikram Singh Kushwaha said the main accused, Dharmendra Lodhi, and nine others have been arrested and additional police personnel deployed in the district’s Ganiyari village.

Kushwaha said the groom approached the police to seek protection for riding the horse to his wedding less than a kilometre from his house after musclemen in the village objected. The police intervened, and Dilip Ahirwar rode the horse.

“But in the night Dharmendra Lodhi and 19 others attacked Ahirwar’s house. They vandalized a car and also hurled abuses on the family members of Ahirwar,” said the police officer.

Dilip’s family member, Pramod, filed a complaint with the police on charges of rioting and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Banda police station in-charge Manas Dwivedi said, “Police force has been deployed in the village for security. The accused Dharmendra Lodhi and others have been arrested. Some suspects are being questioned.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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