A Dalit youth, Lavkush, was brutally thrashed by a Muslim family living nearby because he could not pay ₹500 for the construction of a paved lane in the Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh. He disclosed that his wife, Prabha, was attacked inside their home with sticks, kicks and punches. Her clothes were also torn in the brutal assault. He tried to protect her but was subjected to a severe beating by the assailants. 10 perpetrators are identified in the First Information Report (FIR), including Akbar Khan’s four sons, Mohammad Qasim, Nasir, Salman and Aas Mohammad, as well as his wife Parveen.
The matter pertained to Jadaula village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Harduaganj police station. The young man also went to the police station to narrate his ordeal, but there was a delay in registering the FIR, which was only filed after the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) became involved.
The accused have been booked under several sections, including the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities (SC/ST) Act, rioting and the molestation of a woman, among others. Afterwards, the opposing side lodged a counter FIR against Lavkush, his sibling Deepak, Prabha, alongside 11 named and 15 to 20 anonymous persons, levelling multiple allegations such as assault and criminal intimidation. OpIndia has copies of the 2 FIRs, and we also spoke to Lavkush.
Lavkush recounts the attack
Lavkush, who lives in the aforementioned hamlet, works as a daily-wage labourer to provide for his family and earns ₹700 each day. He has 2 sons: a 4-year-old and a 5- to 6-month-old. Prabha stays at home to look after their children. The Dalit man revealed that his elder son has recently been diagnosed with typhoid, which has prevented him from working for the past 10 days, deteriorating the family’s economic condition due to the loss of income.
Uprooted paved lane and then demanded money for reconstruction
Lavkush stated that the village Pradhan (chief) had initiated the construction of a road. As a result, the paved pathway’s level became lower than the road. This led to flooding in the area with drainage water, causing inconvenience for the residents. A Muslim family then completely removed the pathway, further worsening the situation.
Thus, the locals decided to pool their money to restore the pathway. Each household was required to contribute ₹500. Lavkush was similarly asked to pay the amount. However, he requested them to postpone for a few days, citing his son’s illness. This triggered an intense argument between Prabha and Parveen.
Prabha assaulted inside her home
Lavkush recounted that Parveen forcefully entered their residence and started demanding money at 8:00 am on 27th May. However, Prabha detailed their challenging financial circumstances and her son’s health issues, but Parveen responded, “Well, your son isn’t dead yet, is he? Why doesn’t he just die?” The gravely insensitive comments angered the former, prompting a heated face-off between the two women. However, Parveen called for her sons during this confrontation.
Her sons and daughters-in-law jointly targeted Prabha. She was struck with sticks and rods, kicked and punched, and violently thrown to the ground. Her clothes were torn in the process. Lavkush intervened to protect her and was attacked with sticks. Neighbours, alerted by the screams and commotion, rushed to the scene and rescued the couple. “You ba*ta*d Chamars, you got away this time, but if we catch you again, we will either kill you or drive you out of the village,” the culprits threatened as they departed.
Bricks and stones hurled by Muslims from their rooftop
The Muslim side continued to harass the Dalit victims. On 30th May, bricks and stones were launched from their rooftop. Parveen, her sons and their wives coordinated an attack with bricks and stones aimed at Luvkush’s home. OpIndia has a video of the incident, which features them assembling bricks and pelting stones.
Meanwhile, Luvkush and Deepak suffered injuries during this assault. Their hands and heads were sore. The footage shows a visibly distressed Luvkush trying to protect himself while the Muslims locked their house from the inside. On the other hand, the villagers who were in their close proximity merely observed the event as it transpired. The police reached the location after they were informed, but failed to take any action.
Lavkush files FIR against 10 Muslim individuals
Lavkush went to the Harduaganj police station to file a complaint, but the police were reluctant. He then contacted VHP, which provided assistance at the police station and ensured that the FIR was recorded. The Hindu outfit conveyed that Lavkush is a member of the Jatav community and was assaulted by Muslims.
The police have filed an FIR in accordance with the relevant sections against Mohammad Qasim, Nasir, Salman, Aas Mohammad, Parveen, Akbar Khan’s brother-in-law Anees, Aas Mohammad’s spouse Gulfasa, Aslam (the son of Iqbal), Sheru (the son of Badshah) and Yameen (the son of Lalkhan).
Section 3(2)(va) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Act and sections 191(2), 333, 76, 351(3), and 115(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been invoked against them. These charges consist of committing offences motivated by caste, trespassing and assault, attacking with the purpose of disrobing a woman, criminal intimidation, and willfully causing injury.
Muslims side also lodges FIR
Shortly after Luvkush’s FIR, the Muslims also arrived at the Harduaganj police station to file their complaint, and the police swiftly launched an FIR. It claimed that their neighbour Luvkush and his brother Deepak had attacked them with sticks and clubs. They had also thrown bricks and stones at their house.
The police have booked Luvkush, Prabha, Deepak and his Kranti, Sherpal, Guddu, Sonu, Pirmukhi, Devendra and Rajkumar, along with 15-20 unidentified people. They have been charged under sections 115(2), 125, 190, 191(2), 191(3), 324(4), 333 and 351(2) of the BNS for intentionally causing injury, rioting, damage to property and trespassing into a house, as well as assault.
Read the original report in Hindi here.
