A Dalit groom and his wedding group were allegedly attacked by some upper-caste villagers at Etmadpur in Agra district on Thursday evening for riding a horse and playing music during the wedding procession.

Anita Devi, the mother of the bride Priyanka Kumari, told reporters on Friday
that the groom, Rohit Kumar, was assaulted as he approached Krishna Marriage Hall with the baraat (wedding procession).

“Some upper-caste villagers stopped Rohit, pulled him off the horse and began beating him. They destroyed the music system and attacked several men and women in the procession,” she said.

According to Anita Devi, the attackers were carrying sharp weapons. One of Rohit’s relatives, Kunwar Pal, suffered a head injury during the assault. “When the women tried to intervene, they too were manhandled,” she added.

The attackers allegedly chased the groom and members of the wedding group into the venue and locked them inside for nearly two hours. The police eventually arrived, allowing the family to complete the wedding rituals under tense circumstances. “A police complaint has been filed, naming 10 people, but around 20 others involved in the attack remain unidentified,” Anita Devi said.

Rohit, a resident of Vrindavan in Mathura, had started the procession from outside the village. Vijay Vikram Singh, an inspector with Etmadpur police, said: “The altercation started over the playing of loud music. Four persons — two from each side — have suffered injuries and are under treatment at different hospitals.”

Deputy police commissioner Atul Sharma said: “I have visited the village and started an inquiry into the incident. The named accused are absconding, but they will be arrested soon.”

Anita Devi and Rinku Seth, the district chief of the Bhim Army, blamed those “who have been protesting against Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman” for attacking the Dalit procession.

Rajendra Singh, who claimed he was a local Karni Sena member, said their caste men were not involved in the crime. “We don’t know who did this,” he said.

The Karni Sena is spearheading a movement against Suman for calling Rana Sanga, the 16th-century king of Mewar, a “traitor”. The MP reminded the Rajya Sabha during a debate on March 21 that Sanga had invited Babar, the first Mughal emperor, to invade Delhi and defeat Ibrahim Lodi. However, the Sena rejects this history and calls Sanga a hero.

Rohit said: “The police were under pressure and didn’t want to register an FIR, but they did it when the matter reached the media and some Dalit leaders reached the spot.”

The Bhim Army alleged that the same people had damaged a statue of B.R. Ambedkar in Garhi Gajju village in the same area two days ago.