In an incident in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh, a Dalit couple was hacked to death, by a shopkeeper. They were unable to pay back a sum of Rs 15. They were confronted by the shopkeeper Mishra, in the fields in the morning. In a fit of anger, Mishra killed them with his axe. The couple is reportedly survived by five children.
They belonged to the “Nat” (acrobat) community. The Nats are a nomadic community and eked out a living by providing entertainment by the roadside. Most of them have moved to unskilled agricultural labourers.
Police arrested Mishra and his wife Rajni, under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder) and Section 3 (2) 5 of the stringent Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Mainpuri is the Lok Sabha constituency of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh. Dalits constitute 21 per cent of UP’s population