Etah (UP), Apr 16 (PTI) Tension escalated here after the alleged assault of Dalit community members by individuals from the Lodhi community a day after vandalisation of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh’s statue in a village here.

The alleged vandalisation of Kalyan Singh’s statue occurred after a Dalit procession on Monday night, during which some unidentified individuals reportedly pelted stones at the statue. This incident triggered outrage within the Lodhi community, to which the late Kalyan Singh belonged.

Members of the Dalit community alleged that some miscreants from the Lodhi community forcibly entered their homes in Mohanpur village under the Jalesar police station in the presence of police and assaulted the residents, including women and children, on Tuesday night.

However, Jalesar Station House Officer (SHO) Sudhir Kumar Raghav dismissed the allegations of the Dalit community members, terming them as “baseless”. He asserted that “no such beatings occurred in the presence of the police and that legal action is being taken regarding the vandalisation of the statue”.

The SHO added that preparations are underway to instal a new statue of former chief minister Kalyan Singh to restore normalcy in the area.

The victims claimed that their initial complaints to the local police received no response, prompting them to approach the district magistrate’s office seeking justice.

Bhim Army district president Jitendra Bhaskar claimed that members of the Lodhi Samaj thrashed Dalit men, women and children, accusing them of vandalising the statue.

The Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) has been deployed in response to the heightened tension in the village, police officials said.

The administration remains on high alert in the region, with police camping in Mohanpur village to maintain order. PTI COR CDN KSS KSS