Violence Erupts at Buddhist Sermon Pavilion in UP: Ambedkar Poster Torn, Dalits Attacked

Lucknow- In the Tadiyawa area of Hardoi district, UP, a commotion erupted during a Buddhist sermon event. During this chaos, a Dalit youth was beaten in the presence of police officers deployed for security.

It is alleged that during the incident, a picture of B.R. Ambedkar was also torn. Six people from the Dalit community were injured in this incident. The police have registered an FIR regarding this matter.

The entire incident took place in Shahpur Mughal village of Hardoi district. Anil Kumar, a resident of this village, told The Mooknayak, "A Buddhist sermon was organized in the village from June 5 to June 8. The event was supposed to conclude on June 9. Since we began organizing this event, the Brahmins of the village have been opposing it. One day before the conclusion of the event, all the Brahmins suddenly became aggressive."

Anil further explained, "A crowd of Kshatriyas and Brahmins gathered and allegedly started vandalizing the tent. They drove away the people participating in the Buddhist sermon. When some protested, they were beaten with sticks and rods. Police officers were present at the scene but did nothing to intervene."

In response to the incident, Bhim Army officials, along with Nanhelal from Kakraha, who had come to listen to the sermon, went to the police station. CO Hariawan, Santosh Kumar Singh, mentioned that both parties were pacified. A total of six people sustained injuries, and all received medical attention. The police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.

Bhim Army Activists Protest

In response to the incident, hundreds of people from the Dalit community, along with Bhim Army officials, staged a protest at Ambedkar Park in Purva Deoria village of Tadiyawa police station area. They presented three demands to the Area Officer Hariawan, which included filing a case under relevant sections for damaging the pictures of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Gautam Buddha, withdrawing the case filed against the victims, and including charges for attacking with a firearm. The protest saw the participation of Arvind Kumar, Rajnikant, Arpit Gautam, Sobran Lal, and many others.

On the other hand, people from the opposing side claimed that during the Buddhist sermon event, derogatory remarks were made about Hindu deities. They stated that the event organizers were warned about this, but the organizers repeated the offensive remarks, leading to the conflict.