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Etawah violence: Agitators to pay for damages as police mull stern action
Heavy police and PAC deployment remains in place, with checkpoints on all approach roads and prohibitory orders enforced as authorities work to maintain calm in the area.
The Etawah district administration has initiated proceedings to recover damages from those accused of destroying government property during the recent violence in Dandarpur area of the district. Officials warned that those identified or arrested would be made to pay for the losses incurred during the unrest.
Authorities are also considering invoking the National Security Act (NSA) and attaching properties of accused individuals who remain at large. DIG (Kanpur Range) Harish Chander said the district administration had been asked to assess and recover the cost of damage to public property.
“Anyone attempting to spread caste-based enmity will not be spared under any circumstances,” Chander said. “Police are closely monitoring social media posts and platforms. The intelligence department is actively identifying such individuals, and firm legal action will follow.”
Tensions have risen in parts of Etawah district after signs reportedly appeared in some villages declaring that Brahmins would not be permitted to hold religious discourses. Videos of these threats went viral on social media, further inflaming the atmosphere. Police have intensified online surveillance and, in the past 24 hours, arrested three more people for allegedly posting hateful and provocative content, bringing the total number of arrests to 25. Etawah police have also recommended the suspension of around 50 social media accounts linked to the circulation of inflammatory content.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case against one Renu Tiwari who had previously filed an FIR against ‘kathavachak’ (storyteller) Mukut Singh and Sant Singh Yadav. She is alleged to have made sweeping and derogatory remarks about other communities during an interview with a YouTube channel. The FIR was lodged at Bakewar police station.
The violence in Dandarpur traces back to June 21, when Bhagavata kathavachak Mukut Mani Yadav and Sant Singh Yadav were allegedly assaulted for hiding their identity and posing as belonging to another community during a religious discourse. The two were publicly humiliated, their hair was forcibly cut, and they were made to rub their noses at the feet of a host’s wife. Although six people were initially arrested for the assault, police later also booked the two ‘kathavachak’ for alleged identity fraud.
On Thursday, hundreds of protestors led by Indian Reforms Organisation founder Gagan Yadav blocked the National Highway in Bakewar, demanding action against those responsible for the initial assault. When they attempted to enter Dandarpur, police stopped them on the Ludhiyani–Nibadikala Road, sparking clashes and stone-pelting that damaged police vehicles. Police subsequently booked 170 people—including 20 named individuals—under charges such as rioting, attempt to murder, and criminal conspiracy. Nineteen people were arrested, including a school principal and three teachers, prompting allegations of indiscriminate arrests.
Heavy police and PAC deployment remains in place, with checkpoints on all approach roads and prohibitory orders enforced as authorities work to maintain calm in the area.
