UP Dalit man attacked, held hostage after road accident in Bhadohi
Bhadohi (UP) (PTI): A 20-year-old Dalit man was allegedly held hostage, attacked and faced casteist abuses after his bike collided with another two-wheeler here, police said on Sunday.
Sangam Lal Gautam was riding a bike home to Handia in Prayagraj on March 10 when the accident occurred.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhimanyu Manglik said, "Rishabh Pandey, travelling in the wrong direction near Berwa Paharpur, collided with Sangam Lal’s bike, causing serious injuries."
"As soon as they came to know about his caste, Rishabh along with his father and 10 other unidentified men started abusing the injured Sangam Lal Gautam, hurling castist slurs. They accused him of riding a bike in an intoxicated state and beat him," the police officer said.
The victim was then allegedly held hostage with Rishabh Pandey demanding Rs 20,000 for the damage to his bike. After several hours, Sangam Lal managed to inform his father Narayan Das Gautam, who contacted emergency services, police said.
Police rescued Sangam Lal and admitted him to a community health centre. Based on his complaint filed on March 22, a case has been registered at the Koirauna police station against Rishabh Pandey, Pawan Pandey, and 10 unidentified people under BNS and the SC/ST Act.
An investigation has been initiated in the matter, the SP said.
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Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has directed that all social messages displayed on commercial vehicles registered in the state must be in Marathi. The rule will come into effect from Gudi Padwa, the Marathi New Year.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has instructed the transport department to enforce this directive, citing Marathi as the state's official language and widely spoken by its citizens. He also highlighted that Marathi has been recognised as a classical language under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative, making it the state government’s responsibility to promote and preserve it.
Currently, many commercial vehicles in Maharashtra display social messages, advertisements, and awareness campaigns in Hindi or other languages. For instance, slogans like "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" are commonly seen. Under the new rule, such messages will be replaced with their Marathi equivalents, such as "Mulgi Vachva, Mulgi Shikva."
To ensure compliance, the Transport Minister has directed the Transport Commissioner to implement the rule across all commercial vehicles in Maharashtra. A transport department official stated that the initiative aims to increase the visibility of Marathi in public spaces and reinforce its significance in daily communication.
