Dalit groom’s wedding procession stopped in Etah, police ensure peaceful wedding

Station house officer (SHO) Awagarh, Akhilesh Kumar, confirmed that the situation was brought under control quickly.

A Dalit groom’s wedding procession allegedly faced resistance while passing through a Thakur-dominated locality in Dhakpura village under Awagarh police station limits of Etah district on Saturday evening, prompting swift police action to prevent escalation. Constable Sunil Kumar from the Sakroli police station sustained a head injury during the incident and was taken for treatment.

Constable injured in stone-pelting as procession takes alternate route through Thakur-dominated area (Sourced)

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Etah Shyam Narain Singh said, “Police had been deployed along a shorter, designated route for the wedding procession, but the barat took a different path through the village.” “A few individuals from the Thakur community objected. Police reached the spot, intervened, and the procession continued under police protection.”

“After covering a short distance, a loud sound was heard; some believed it could be a gunshot or a stone being thrown. The injured constable was given medical attention and is out of danger,” the SSP added.

Senior officials, including Additional SP Rajkumar Singh, SDM Jaleshwar Bhavana Vimal, and Circle Officer Gyanendra Pratap Singh, reached the village to assess the situation.

“The police force remained in the village until all wedding rituals were completed and the ‘vidai’ (departure of the bride) took place peacefully,” SSP Singh said.