Seven held for setting Dalit man’s shop on fire in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul

Tension prevailed at a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district after a Dalit man’s shop was set on fire following his marriage with a woman from Other Backward Class (OBC) community, police said on Saturday.

Seven people were arrested under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and prohibitory orders were imposed at Bisnur village, an official said.

A case under the SC-ST Act was registered against a total of 23 people, said Superintendent of Police Karthikeyan K.

A 21-year-old Dalit man and a 19-year-old woman, both residents of the village, got married recently despite opposition from the woman’s family, he said.

Some of her relatives were allegedly harassing the couple, and on Friday night the man’s shop was set on fire, leading to tension in the village, the SP said.

Karthikeyan and district collector Tejasvi Nayak met both the families, appealing for peace, he said.

A police team has been deployed in the village and the situation was under control, the SP added.