August 16, 2020
Tension has been spreading in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh for the last two days. The Dalit head was shot dead recently in Banshgaon here. The upper castes living in the village are allegedly blamed for this murder. After this incident, the Dalit community took to the streets between Friday and Saturday and carried out incidents like stone pelting and arson. Also vandalized a police check post.
The 42-year-old Dalit killed in the incident has been described as Satyamev Jayate. He became the head of Bansgaon for the first time. The Dalits allege that Satyamev refused to bow down to the Thakurs. That is why he was killed. It is worth noting that in Bansgaon of Azamgarh, the number of Dalits is about 5 times as compared to the upper castes, yet like other districts of UP, the real strength is considered to be in the grip of Brahmins and Thakurs.
According to the initial investigation by the police, Satyamev was passing through a private school outside the village on the day of the incident. Here his friends Vivek Singh and Suryansh Dubey took him to the nearby tubewell on the pretext of feeding them. It is said that during this time there was a dispute between them about something and Satyamev’s friends shot him. The accused then informed Satyamev’s family about the murder and escaped from the scene. However, the Dalit community of the village blocked the road and protested against the incident, which later turned violent.
In this entire case, Subhash Chandra Dubey, DIG, Azamgarh Range, says that they are following the claims of Satyamev’s family until they arrest the accused and interrogate them. He said that the cause of the murder has not been ascertained yet, but the incident is quite serious, as it happened with a elected representative of the public.