Dalit groom forced to wear helmet as upper caste Hindus hurl stones

While the fallout of caste discrimination across India is usually extremely sad and disturbing, a case in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district took a bizarre turn, when a Dalit groom rode on a horse to his wedding wearing a helmet. According to a  CNN-IBN report, stones were being throne at him and the wedding procession as it made its way to the venue. [caption id=“attachment_2240406” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Pawan Malviya rides a horse wearing a helmet. Ibnlive[/caption] The victim also had to get police protection to save himself from the upper caste Hindus. Reports also suggest that the groom, Pawan Malviya’s, family had been injured during the incident. However, according to NDTV, the two warring sides managed to reach a consensus. “As part of what district officials described as a compromise between the two sides, the upper caste families agreed to keep their doors shut so they would not have to watch a Dalit groom on a horse,” reported NDTV. The police arrested 27 people for the stone pelting. NDTV quoted a senior police officer as saying, “It is a dispute between two groups in the Nirun village. The procession was finally allowed to move peacefully and without incident. We have registered a case against around 70 people.”