Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

KASGANJ (UTTAR PRADESH): A Dalit led his wedding precession for the first time in Nizampur, a village near Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday as a fight for rights came down like a wrecking ball on years-old bias.

Five months after his desire to ride a horse to his bride’s house — a tradition at Hindu weddings that the Dalits of Nizampur were not allowed to observe — reportedly stoked clashes with upper caste neighbours in this village, Sanjay Jatav made that dream come true for himself. And scores of others in Nizampur.

Standing by to make it happen were at least 250 police personnel, including 10 female constables and a unit of the UP provincial armed constabulary. For extra measure, as many as 30 upper caste members who disapproved of Jatav’s decision were asked to leave the village while the wedding was underway.

Circle officer (Kasganj city) Gavendra Pal Gautam said they had a robust security arrangement in place to ensure nothing untoward happened.

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“We have everything under control since last night,” he said on Sunday afternoon, “There is no scope of any disturbance. Everything will go on peacefully.” Nizampur is a Thakur-dominated village in western Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj.