A horrible clash erupted between the Muslims and Dalits in Betethi village of Jaunpur district in UP on 9 June. An altercation among boys on the insignificant matter of cattle grazing, when buffaloes of the Dalit group struck a goat of the Muslim group while grazing, and that started a feud among both the group. The feud intensified when parents of the communities got involved.
The village head pacified the situation but later that evening, a group of Muslim youth went into the Dalit Basti where a Dalit man slapped one of the boys, and the situation escalated and nearly 100 men came to the village and started assaulting and set fire to 6-10 shanties of the Dalits and this havoc caused injuries to nearly a dozen people from both community of which one was severely injured and sent to Varanasi for treatment. Livestock was not spared from the wrath of the agitator and was burnt alive. Now, only the charred remains of the belonging are left to witness the horror of Mankind.
On reports of the escalating tension in the village, SHO Sanjiv Misra, Sarai Khwaja police station responded to the scene and called for additional reinforcement from all the nearby police stations to contain the situation from further worsening.
In a conversation with The Indian express, commanding officer at the scene, SHO Sanjiv Mishra told: “On Tuesday evening, some Dalit and Muslim teenagers were grazing buffaloes and goats when they started quarreling. Initially, the village head intervened, but later, some boys from the Muslim community returned to the Dalit Basti where a Dalit man slapped a Muslim boy, and the matter got escalate. There was stone-pelting from both sides and people alleged that firearms were used. Eleven boys from both the communities were injured in the stone-pelting. Later, a group of Muslim men indulged in arson and set fire to Dalit huts, ”
The complaint lodged by the Dalit community, alleges that the fight broke out when the Muslim boys hurled casteist abuses on them.
“When this was opposed, they started beating up my cousins. When some family members, including mothers of my cousins, went to inquire about the incident to the house of the accused, they had to face abuses. Around 6 pm, 57 identified and 20-25 unidentified people from the Muslim community came to our basti with sticks and weapons threatened to kill us. Women and children had to take shelter in the nearby village and 10 houses were burnt by the Muslims, ”.
As the CM Yogi Adityanath cognizance of the incident ordered invoking the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and Gangster Act the Police came into action and arrested 37 of the accused in the FIR including Samajwadi Party Leader Javed Siddiqui and are continuously making raids to nab all the accused.“
Local Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Javed Siddiqui, husband of the local village head, Aftab alias Hitler, and Noor Alam have been arrested. 57 people have been named in the FIR besides 27 others,” SP Ashok Kumar said.
While the police booked the Accused of Rioting, breach of peace, attempt to murder, the main accused Noor Alam and Javed Siddiqui are also charged with NSA and Gangster Act.
The accused are also booked under section 7 of the CLA Act, Disaster management Act, and Epidemic diseases Act and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) act.
The CM also asked for strict action against SHO Sanjiv Mishra, Sarai Khawaja Police Station for laxity at the onset of this conflict. The SHO has been sent to police lines and Additional SP (Rural) is asked to probe into the matter.
The CM has announced a monetary help of Rs. 10,26,450 for the victims and Rs. 1 lacs each for the families of the victim from the state welfare funds in accordance with the guidelines. The District Commissioner is also directed to provide houses under the CM Awas Yojana to 7 families.
Our team tried to contact the corresponding police station in regard to the current development in the situation but received no response from them. The number of victims in this report is not confirmed and is obtained from various sources.
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