LUCKNOW: In a major breakthrough, much-hyped row over the route of the wedding procession of a Dalit youth Sanjay Jatav settled when the upper caste Thakurs of Nizampur village in Kasgnaj agreed to allow passage to his baraat after a compromise between the two communities in the presence of senior district and police administrative officers on Sunday night.
The agreement between the two communities, which have been at loggers head over the issues for a fortnight now, has been seen as a victory for Dalits who will now have a wedding as per their
aspirations in the village dominated by Thakurs.
The Kasganj administration and police have been trying, and failing, to broker a compromise between the Dalits and Thakurs of Nizampur village over the wedding procession on April 20. While the Dalits wanted to hold the procession (baraat) through the village, the dominant Thakurs were against it calling it against the traditions. Village head Kanti Devi, a thakur by caste, too had opposed it claiming that it could become a huge law and order problem.
However, it is also being seen as an achievement of the district administration which brought the two sides to negotiating table and convinced thakurs to agree to allow passage to the baraat of dalit youth who wanted to ride a mare on his wedding day on April 20 to reach his bride Sheetal Jatav. However, the
groom belongs to Hathras district in western UP.
As per the compromise formula, the route of the wedding procession, comprising certain stretches Thakurs’ localities in the village, was decided and agreed upon by both the communities.
As Section 144 was clamped in entire Kasganj district, the groom’s side was cautioned by district administration against ranting anything objectionable against the other community through loudspeaker or any other speaker system during the wedding procession.
On the initiative of Kasganj DM RP Singh, the two communities reached the compromise at DM office in the presence of senior district and police officials including Kasganj SSP Pankaj Srivastava.