Dalit family attacked in UP for organising wedding at banquet hall

Lucknow: In a shocking incident, a Dalit family was attacked with sticks and lathis in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district for allegedly organising a wedding ceremony at a banquet hall.

Several members of the Dalit family sustained injuries in the attack and were admitted to the hospital where the condition of two of them was stated to be serious.

According to the police sources, about two dozen people carrying lathis and sticks barged into the banquet hall at Rasra in the district while the ceremony was going on and attacked the members of the family.

The family members said that the attackers hurled abuses at them using their caste. ‘’How can you organise a wedding ceremony at a banquet hall?’’ the attackers allegedly told the Dalit family.

Sources said that an FIR was registered in this connection at Rasra police station and investigations were on.

‘’We were attacked for holding the wedding ceremony at the hall,’’ said Raghavendra Gautam, one of the family members.

Police said that efforts were on to identify the culprits. No arrests have been made so far, the police added.

Several incidents of attacks on the dalits have been reported from parts of the state in the past few months.

Barely a few days back alleged members of upper castes forced a Dalit groom to get down from the horse during a wedding in Agra district.

He was also assaulted along with the wedding guests, according to the reports.