A 17-year-old Dalit who is a class X student was died from a bullet injury amid police firing following a clash over the installation of a board with B R Ambedkar’s photo on Ambedkar Park in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district, the deceased’s family said.
The killing took place on Tuesday.
An FIR was registered against 23 persons, including four police personnel and a home guard, on murder charges but no arrest has been made yet, the Rampur police said.
The deceased, Somesh, who was standing at the spot, died from a bullet injury amid police firing, his family alleged. Two other Dalit youths, Raheespal and Raman were injured and now are stable.
Meanwhile, the police denied the allegation of killing Dalit student.
Rampur District Magistrate (DM) Jogindra Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry.
On Wednesday, Somesh’s relatives and local Dalits orchestrated a protest within the village upon the return of the body following the post-mortem examination. Their demands include a financial compensation of Rs 1 crore for the deceased’s family, Rs 10 lakh for the injured individuals, and the suspension of government officials purportedly accountable for the killing and violence.
Somesh’s family conducted the final rites only after senior officials in the district administration and the police assured them of all possible help and stringent action against the culprits.
According to Indian Express, the incident occurred when the district administration officers and the police reached Silai Badha village on Tuesday to remove the board, which declared the plot as ‘Ambedkar Park’. The board, which also carried an image of Ambedkar, was set up around two months ago after levelling of the plot.
A section of villagers, belonging to the Kurmi community (OBC), raised objections immediately after the board was set up and also filed a complaint with the district administration, the newspaper reported. The violence occurred on Tuesday when the district administration, accompanied by the police, visited the village in connection with the complaint.
