1.

A Dalit groom was allegedly forced to get down from the horse he was riding as p
art of a pre-wedding ritual and beaten up by upper caste men at Sadwa village in
the district, the police said here on Sunday.
The incident took place two days ago, when Manoj Ahirwar (21) went around the vi
llage on horse-back seeking the blessings of village elders, said Chhattarpurs Ad
ditional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Neeraj Pandey.
As per village tradition, only upper-caste grooms are allowed to ride on a horse, wh
ile lower castes have to go on foot to seek the blessings of elders.
The police said they had arrested seven people identified as Ladle Yadav, Khadia
Yadav, Ammu Yadav, Mitthu Yadav, Jaahar Yadav, Ram Singh and Pavrat Pal, while
six others, including village headman Khuman Singh, were absconding.
Some persons in the grooms procession also allegedly made some comments leading t
o the scuffle, with upper caste men objecting to the violation of village tradition.