Dalits protest outside police station in UP town after clashes in which 9 were injured

Members of two communities clashed in Maharajpur village under Baghrai police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district late on Monday night. The clash is believed to be a fallout of a scuffle which took place during a ‘dangal’ (a wresting event) held on Nag Panchami few days back, the police said.

Large number of dalits, including women, surrounded the Baghrai police station on Tuesday morning alleging that nine people were assaulted and injured by assailants in the scuffle. The protesters demanded immediate action against the accused. An FIR has been lodged and raids were being carried out to arrest the accused, Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Singh said.

Additional police force has been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward situation, he added.

According to reports, a wrestling event was organised in Maharajpur village on July 25. Locals claim that Ashiq Ali, Asgar Ali and some other people from village Ahladganj started interfering in the sport and even engaged in a schffle with the organisers. However, the elders had intervened and pacified both the groups then.

But on Monday night, a local Pintu Saroj was strolling on the main road of Maharajpur village when he was attacked by over a dozen youth from Ahladganj. Some other people who rushed to his rescue were also assaulted and injured by attackers who then fled when large number of villagers gathered.

Nine injured people were taken to district hospital where doctors referred four of them to SRN hospital in Prayagraj for treatment. Enraged over the incident, a large number of people belonging to dalit community surrounded the Baghrai police station on Tuesday morning. They demanded immediate arrest of all the accused.