Weddings of two Dalit sisters called off after traffic accident escalates into violence in Mathura
Mathura, Feb 23 (PTI): A minor traffic accident in the Refinery area of this Uttar Pradesh district escalated into a violent clash, leading to the wedding ceremonies of two sisters from a Dalit family being called off and injuries to several guests.
Police said the two sisters, accompanied by their relatives, were returning from the beauty parlour when their car brushed a motorcycle on Friday.
Following this, Karnawal village residents Lokesh, Rohtash and Satish -- who were on the motorcycle -- started an argument with the car's passengers. The three men allegedly pulled the women out from the car, assaulted them, and smeared mud on their faces.
When the brides' family members learned of the attack, they rushed to the spot with some of the 'baraatis'. The suspected attackers, in turn, also called their relatives.
In the ensuing clash, several people were injured, including the brides' father who suffered a head injury.
The violence continued at the wedding venue when Satish and some others arrived in a tractor-trolley and rammed into two vehicles. They then allegedly assaulted the guests who tried to intervene.
Despite police intervention and attempts at mediation, the grooms refused to proceed with the weddings.
A case has been registered against 15 named individuals and several unidentified others under charges such as rioting, assault with deadly weapons, hostage-taking, robbery, attempted murder, property damage, and using casteist slurs, the police said.
Five people, including Rohtash, have been arrested, and raids are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects, they said.
"Peace and order have been restored in the village and police force has been deployed as a precautionary measure," said Mathura City Additional Superintendent of Police Dr Arvind Kumar.
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SP has ended contract with I-PAC due to fund constraints: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party has severed its association with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) due to a lack of funds.
He dismissed speculations that the termination of contract was because of recent election results.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said the party had engaged I-PAC for a brief period ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but could not continue the arrangement.
"Yes, we had an association. They worked with us for a few months, but we are not able to continue because we do not have that kind of funding," he said.
The I-PAC is a political consultancy firm known for managing major election campaigns across the country.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has also been associated with the organisation in the past and has worked with multiple parties, including the BJP and the Congress.
In a lighter vein, Yadav took a swipe at the ecosystem of political consultancies. "We thought that if we have to work with a 'winning agency', then there are several big companies."
He said that some people suggested conducting surveys, hiring another firm, keeping a social media company, and even engaging agencies for negative campaigning against other parties.
"There are one or two more companies whose names are not yet known. I can get those for you as well," Yadav said.
Yadav rejected the suggestion that the decision to end the deal was influenced by recent election outcomes in states such as West Bengal.
"There is no such thing. Do not ask questions based on baseless reports. That is not true," he said.
"This is not the reason for ending the agreement. We simply do not have enough funds. If you (the media) give us funds, we can hire another company," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
