KASGANJ: A Dalit groom finally won the battle he fought for his right to take baraat through Thakur area as upper caste Thakurs residents have agreed to allow the passage of wedding procession.
Kasganj senior administrative officials such as District Magistrate and the SP played mediator to diffuse the simmering caste tension between the two sides.
They reach to an amicable resolution and convinced the Thakurs to allow the baraat to pass through any part of the town he so wishes.
“I am very happy this has happened. This is a victory of all of us fighting for equality,” the young man later told NDTV.
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A marriage between 27-year-old Sanjay Jatav, a Dalit from Hathras, and Sheetal is to take place in Nizampur village in Kasganj on April 20.
Talking to TOI, Sanjay said, “After the court’s verdict, I met Kasganj district magistrate R P Singh and gave him a proposal for two alternative routes. If the administration and police don’t agree, the Dalit community will never allow any Thakur wedding procession to pass through their area.”
“Like all other citizens of the country, I am entitled to a regular wedding. Discrimination like this in 2018 is unacceptable. I will now move the Supreme Court in this regard,” he said.
DM R.P. Singh told ANI that the administration has finalised a route for ‘Baraat’ of Dalit groom Sanjay Jatav, who would be entering bride’s village on a horse.
“We have made a route from bride’s house to some 500 meters where they can take the horse. Further celebrations can take place at a farm,” Singh said.
It should be noted that the groom has also approached Allahabad High Court seeking protection on his marriage day after the upper caste community allegedly opposed his decision to take out his baraat by riding on a horse.
The marriage will take place at a time when Dalits are up in arms against dilution of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.