A deeply disturbing incident of caste-based violence that took place on March 10 in the Tikunia police station area of Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh, has come to light after the victim’s family released a video on social media threatening to end their lives if an FIR was not registered within 24 hours. Two days after lodging a complaint, no case had been registered, and the accused remained free.
According to the victim’s family, during a marriage ceremony, a group of around 40 people from the Awasthi family forcibly pulled family members off the road, locked them inside a room and subjected them to brutal physical assault. The attackers allegedly hurled casteist abuses throughout the attack. A woman in the family had her hair pulled, was crushed underfoot and was threatened with being shot. The victim also alleged in her complaint that her son’s clothes were smelling of urine, suggesting he too was subjected to humiliation during the assault.
Police arrived at the scene and managed to extract the victims from the locked room, but no arrests were made, and no FIR was registered despite the seriousness of the incident.
Station In-Charge Accused of Pressuring Family to Compromise
What has drawn equal outrage is the alleged conduct of the Tikunia police station in-charge after the incident. The victim’s family and Bhim Army State Coordinator Dr Kuldeep Bhargava alleged that instead of registering a case, the station in-charge was pressuring the family to reach a compromise with the accused and was actively working to protect them. The accused are said to be officials associated with the Bajrang Dal, which the family and activists say explains the alleged police reluctance to act.
The victim’s family released a video on social media detailing the attack and warning that if the FIR was not registered within one day, they would take their own lives. The video quickly went viral, with large numbers of users tagging UP Police and the Director General of Police demanding immediate action.
Bhim Army Warns of Protest, Demands SC/ST Act Case
Bhim Army District General Secretary Advocate Deepak Jatav warned that if the victim’s family continued to face pressure and was denied justice, the Bhim Army would march to the SP office in Lakhimpur and stage a protest. The organisation demanded the immediate registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and other applicable sections, an impartial investigation and security for the affected family.
Dr Bhargava said the incident was a clear case of upper-caste aggression against a Dalit family. “In Tikunia police station area of Lakhimpur Kheri district, some upper caste bullies forcibly pulled two members of the family from the road, locked them in a room and brutally beat them,” he said, adding that the failure to register an FIR amounted to a grave injustice.
Amid the mounting social media pressure, Kheri Police responded on the platform, saying that the Tikunia in-charge inspector had been directed to take necessary action in the case. Whether a formal FIR has since been registered and arrests made remains to be confirmed.
