Saharanpur: 1 dead, several injured in attack on Dalits after Mayawati's rally

NEW DELHI: Saharanpur is on the boil again with fresh violence in the district claiming one more life and injuring several others. There was a violent clash between the Dalits and the Rajputs before and after BSP chief Mayawati's visit to the violence hit city. One died and several others sustained injuries when a group of Dalits returning from Mayawati's meeting in a car was allegedly attacked by men belonging to upper caste with sharp-edged weapons and guns. The attackers fired their guns and wielded batons, killing Ashish (24) on the spot and injuring four others. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital. Following the incident, senior police officials rushed to the spot to assess the situation. Saharanpur has been in the grip of caste violence in recent days. Mayawati during her visit held the BJP-led UP government responsible for the violence and alleged that the ruling party had failed to stop its own brigade from attacking weaker sections. Thousands of people had staged a massive protest on Sunday at Jantar Mantar in against alleged atrocities on Dalits in Saharanpur. The protest was called by an organisation known as the Bhim Army. While demanding justice from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the protestors alleged that the state government was mistreating the Dalits. The May 5 violence in Saharanpur had taken place when a procession by Thakurs, sporting saffron scarves and marking the birth anniversary of 16th-century Rajput king Maharana Pratap, entered Jatav settlements. The Dalits claimed they were attacked first. Over two dozen people suffered injuries and a young Thakur died - killed mistakenly by his caste brethren, the Dalits claim. It's alleged that a mob from the Thakur community burned and ransacked 25 houses belonging to Dalits, and injured 15 members from the community. The incident is seen as a sign of rising Dalit assertiveness in the region. Earlier that day, a group of Thakur men wanted to take out a musical procession honouring Maharana Pratap, which had been opposed by Dalits citing lack of permission from authorities. On Thursday, at least 180 Dalit families from three western Uttar Pradesh villages claim to have embraced Buddhism "in protest against the atrocities on Dalits under the Yogi Adityanath government". Residents of Idhari, Roopadi and Kapoorpur in Saharanpur district, 600km northwest of Lucknow, gathered in Mankamau village and threw idols and pictures of gods and goddesses into the Badi Nahar canal to signal their abandonment of their previous faith. On May 14, about 50 Dalit families in Moradabad, 200km east of Saharanpur, too had cited the Shabbirpur violence and threatened to abandon Hinduism if Adityanath did not stop the attacks on Dalits by the "saffron brigade". The incident carries echoes of a milestone protest six decades ago when atrocities against Dalits had prompted Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar to adopt Buddhism with a group of followers on October 14, 1956. (With PTI inputs)