Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh: In a horrific caste-based attack, a 62-year-old Dalit woman, Sheela Devi, was killed and five others seriously injured when a group of upper-caste Hindu men allegedly rammed an SUV into them multiple times late Monday night in Sunehra village.
The violence reportedly erupted after a resident, Bhupendra, asked the SUV driver to slow down. Enraged, the occupants — identified as Tapesh Singh and his son Priyanshu Singh — hurled casteist slurs at the villagers before leaving the scene. According to eyewitnesses and a police complaint, they returned about 10 minutes later with four others, armed and ready for violence, reported the Maktoob Media.
In a deliberate act of brutality, the group allegedly plowed the Mahindra Thar SUV into the gathered Dalit residents and reversed repeatedly, crushing several people under the vehicle. Sheela Devi died instantly, while five others sustained critical injuries and were rushed to the district hospital.
Disturbing videos of the incident, which are widely circulating on social media, have triggered widespread anger and condemnation. The footage shows people being run over as bystanders scream in horror, followed by the perpetrators fleeing.
Bulandshahr City SP Shanker Prasad confirmed that an FIR has been lodged against six accused — Tapesh Kumar, Priyanshu Singh, Varun Kumar, Atul Singh, Krishna Singh, and Manav Kumar — under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including murder, attempted murder, rioting, and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The accused are currently on the run, and a special team has been formed to track them down.
This gruesome case underscores the persistent caste-based violence that continues to plague parts of rural India, despite legal safeguards.
