Tension prevailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on Saturday after the family of a 19-year-old Dalit youth refused to perform his last rites, alleging that he was murdered and demanding stricter charges against the accused.
The incident took place in Boolgarhi village under the Chandpa police station area, where Sunny, son of Santosh, died on Friday after allegedly being crushed under a tractor in suspicious circumstances.
Family Alleges Murder, Rejects Accident Theory
Police initially registered the case as an accident. However, the victim’s family alleged that Sunny was deliberately killed due to an old rivalry.
According to the family, the tractor belonged to a man from the Thakur community, and they accused Bani Singh and his brother Sunil of murdering the youth. They also demanded that the case be registered under murder charges and relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Refusing to cremate the body, the family said they would not perform the last rites until the police amended the FIR.
Police Add Murder, SC/ST Act Charges
As the body reached the village on Saturday, protests broke out, with women staging demonstrations. A heavy police force was deployed to maintain law and order.
Officials held several rounds of discussions with the family. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) district president Raj Kapoor also reached the spot and appealed for calm.
After negotiations, police added charges of murder and the SC/ST Act to the case. Following the changes in the FIR, the family agreed to perform the last rites.
Police later arrested the main accused, Bani Singh. The investigation is ongoing.
Village Remains Under Tight Security
Boolgarhi village has remained under close security since the 2020 Hathras case involving the alleged gang rape and death of a Dalit woman. A CRPF deployment continues to remain at the victim’s family’s residence.
