21 booked in Kota for hurling casteist slurs during Dalit groom's pre-wedding procession

Some people belonging to the upper castes, who were apparently drunk, hurled casteist slurs and attempted to create a ruckus while the processing was passing through their locality.

Twenty-one people have been booked here for allegedly hurling casteist slurs against the members of a Dalit man's pre-wedding procession and creating a ruckus during the ceremony, police said on Sunday.

Seven people were also kept in preventive detention under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and some of them are those already booked in the case, DSP and Circle Officer (CO) Praveen Nayak said.

The incident took place on Friday night when the 'Bindori' (pre-wedding procession) of Sanjeev Meghwal was being taken out on a mare through the lanes in Goyanda village.

Some people belonging to the 'upper caste', hurled casteist slurs at the guests and created a ruckus when the ceremony was about to be over after the groom had performed prayers at a temple, the DSP said.

Anticipating that there may be attempts to disrupt the ceremony, four police personnel were already deployed with the procession that peacefully marched through the village. While it was passing through an ''upper caste-dominated area'' on way back home, some people used abusive language against the guests and created a ruckus, he added.

Additional police force was immediately rushed to the spot, however the trouble-monger had fled away, he said.

The security has been upped in the village and the situation is normal, the DSP added.

On the complaint of the groom's father on Saturday, the police lodged a case under Indian Penal Code section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and provisions of the SC/ST Act against 21 named and some others unidentified people, Ramganjmandi Station House Officer (SHO) Manoj Berwal said.

Meanwhile, DSP Nayak, who is also the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case, ruled out any incident of manhandling with the guests.

''There was no manhandling with the guests in the procession nor the groom was forced to dismount from the mare. Some people belonging to the upper castes, who were apparently drunk, hurled casteist slurs and attempted to create a ruckus while the processing was passing through their locality. A case has been registered and the investigation is underway,'' the DSP said.

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