Aligharh- In a startling revelation from Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district, a single family from Hastpur village in the Iglaas area has filed as many as 16 cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act over the past 15 years, raking in at least Rs 13 lakh in compensation.

The controversy, which has pitted the family against villagers and raised serious questions about the potential misuse of the stringent anti-atrocities law, prompted a high-level probe by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). On September 23, a three-member team from the commission visited the village, conducting an exhaustive 6-hour investigation that included site inspections, stakeholder meetings, and demands for detailed records. This development shows growing concerns over the SC-ST Act's implementation in rural India, where accusations of false filings for financial gain clash with genuine cries for justice and protection.

The epicenter of this feud is the family of Vishnu, residing in a modest room built on agricultural land in Hastpur, approximately 25 km from the Aligarh district headquarters. Comprising Vishnu, his mother Chandravati, and father Chandrapal Singh, the household has become synonymous with legal battles since 2010.

All 16 FIRs were registered at the local Iglaas police station, with a staggering 11 of them targeting members of just one opposing family. While five cases have culminated in final reports (FR) by the police, effectively closing them without further action, the remaining 11 are languishing in various courts. The family's persistence in invoking the SC-ST Act, designed to safeguard marginalized communities from caste-based discrimination and violence, has not only drawn compensation but also ignited a firestorm of counter-allegations from the accused villagers.

From the family's perspective, the filings stem from a pattern of targeted harassment and threats rooted in their Scheduled Caste identity. Vishnu has repeatedly approached authorities, including the NCSC, claiming that police inaction has left them vulnerable to ongoing perils. In a recent escalation, he alleged a brutal attack on his father Chandrapal Singh, which went unaddressed by law enforcement despite promises of security from the commission.

"Our family faces a constant threat to our lives due to caste-based enmity," Vishnu told the probing team during their village visit, urging immediate protective measures. The family's grievances highlight a broader critique of enforcement gaps in SC-ST cases, where victims often feel abandoned by the very system meant to shield them.

On the flip side, the accused villagers paint a diametrically opposite picture, accusing the family of orchestrating a racket of fabricated complaints solely to extract monetary settlements. Led by figures like Bablu, the husband of the village pradhan, and others, the opponents assert that Vishnu's litigious spree has terrorized the community under the guise of legal protection.

"These are false cases aimed at harassment and extortion through compensation," they contended during interactions with the NCSC team, echoing complaints lodged directly with the commission. Over the years, the family is said to have pocketed lakhs in payouts, fueling suspicions of systemic abuse of the Act. This viewpoint gained traction in a 2017 joint report submitted by then-District Magistrate Rishikesh Bhaskar Yashod and Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar Pandey, which explicitly flagged the family's actions as "misuse of the Act" and accused them of leveling baseless charges against police.

The NCSC's intervention on Tuesday marked a pivotal chapter in this protracted saga. Led by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Sunmeet Kaur, alongside Deputy Director Dr. R. Stalin and legal advisor Niti Chaudhary, the team arrived in Aligarh around noon and wasted no time diving into the fray. Their itinerary kicked off with a 90-minute closed-door session at the Circuit House, where they grilled key officials including District Magistrate Sanjeev Ranjan, SSP Neeraj Jadaun, Circle Officer (CO), and representatives from the Social Welfare Department. Discussions zeroed in on the status of the 16 cases, covering charge sheets, trials, and police probes, alongside the mechanics of compensation disbursal. The team issued directives for the submission of critical documents.

They spent hours engaging with Vishnu's family, absorbing firsthand accounts of alleged atrocities and inspecting the incident sites, including the family's field-side dwelling. Conversations extended to neutral villagers, capturing a mosaic of perspectives on the simmering tensions. The opposing camp, undeterred, seized the opportunity to reiterate their grievances, with Bablu and his allies decrying the "cycle of false accusations" that has allegedly stifled village life. Flanked by local heavyweights, SP Rural Amrit Jain, SDM Paritosh Mishra, Tehsildar Satish Baghel, and SHO Narendra Yadav, the team ensured a balanced hearing, methodically documenting statements from all quarters.

A particularly jarring revelation emerged during the Circuit House deliberations: a glaring discrepancy in compensation figures. Social Welfare officials pegged the total aid disbursed to Vishnu's family at Rs 13 lakh, yet the NCSC's preliminary records suggested a whopping Rs 46 lakh had been claimed. This anomaly prompted the team to mandate an immediate re-verification, with strict instructions for a comprehensive report to reconcile the numbers.

Speaking with the media, Sanjeev Ranjan, DM stated, " A three-member team from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes visited the district on Tuesday to investigate the case of multiple complaints filed by a family in Hastpur. The team sought details of the cases registered by the family and the compensation received. They also conducted an on-site inspection."