Dalit groom, stopped from riding horse in MP village, makes a point the next day

This is the third case in a month when a Dalit groom in Madhya Pradesh was given police protection to ride a horse.

Published on: Feb 11, 2022, 01:56:37 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: A Dalit police constable, who was stopped from riding a horse during to his wedding, eventually rode a horse the following day under police protection in Chhatarpur district, said a police officer.

The Chhatarpur Police said the Dalit groom was told by the so-called upper caste men in the village to get off the horse and walk to his wedding (AFP File Photo/Representative Image)

“A resident of Kundalyapur village Dayachand Ahirwar, 24, is posted as a constable. On Wednesday, Ahirwar was stopped from riding a horse in a locality of upper caste people during his wedding procession to the temple. His family agreed to the demand and told Ahirwar to get off the horse. He went to the temple by foot as in the tradition for people from the Scheduled Castes,” said Vikram Singh, additional superintendent of police (ASP), Chhatarpur.

When police and district administration came to know about it on Thursday, the police provided protection to the groom and carried out a procession on a horse in the locality where riding the horse by the Scheduled Caste was prohibited, said the police officer.

Vikram Singh said no formal police complaint has been lodged by Dayachand Ahirwar or his family.

Ahirwar said, “I was told to leave the horse in the locality by upper caste people on my wedding day as it was an old-age tradition. But I was not abused so I didn’t file any complaint.”

This is the third incident in a month when a Dalit groom was given police protection to ride a horse.

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