A land dispute that had been going on for a long time turned violent in Handiya village under the Manda police station area on Sunday, leading to an assault on a Dalit family. Police have registered a case against several named and unnamed accused under charges including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act.
According to the police, the complaint was filed by Shyamlali, the wife of Suresh Bharti, a resident of Handiya village. In her statement, she alleged that people from the neighbouring village of Gauraiya Khurd forcibly entered her house on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Vishnu Kant Gupta, Chandrakant Gupta and Indrakant Gupta, sons of Ramsagar, Ramsagar son of Baram Din, Sapna daughter of Ramsagar, along with four unidentified women from their household and two unidentified nephews.
Shyamlali alleged that the accused abused her using filthy language and began assaulting her inside her house. When her daughters, Aanchal and Priyanka, tried to intervene and save her, they were also beaten with sticks.
“The accused continuously used caste-based abuses while beating us,” Shyamlali said in her complaint to the police.
As a result of the assault, Shyamlali and her two daughters sustained serious injuries. She also reported that her mobile phone went missing during the incident.
She further alleged that when villagers gathered after hearing the commotion, the accused vandalised her house by breaking the tin shed and cement sheets. The accused then allegedly threatened to kill the family before fleeing from the spot.
Based on the complaint, Manda police registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC ST Act, including provisions related to assault, criminal intimidation and caste-based atrocity.
Confirming the action, Manda inspector Anil Kumar Verma said, “An FIR has been registered on the basis of the victim’s complaint. The investigation of the case has been handed over to ACP Meja.”
Police officials said further action will be taken after the completion of the investigation.
