News Analysis India

Tag: Haridwar police

  • One more held in Uttarakhand for passing casteist slur on hockey player Vandana Katariya’s family

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: One more person has been held for passing casteist remarks on national women’s hockey team player Vandana Katariya’s family taking the number of those arrested in connection with the case to three.

    Twenty-two-year-old Sumit Chauhan was arrested from his home on Saturday, Haridwar SSP Senthil Avoodai Krishna Raj S said.

    With his arrest, three people have been arrested in connection with the case, the other two being Vijay Pal and his brother Ankur Pal who were arrested earlier, he said.

    They have all been booked under Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the official said.

    They are charged with dancing and bursting fire crackers outside Vandana’s house in a gesture of mockery soon after the Indian women’s hockey team lost to Argentina in Olympics semifinals.

    They also allegedly passed a casteist slur against the family saying that the team had lost because it had too many Dalit players in it.

    Meanwhile, police personnel have been deployed outside the Olympian’s house in Roshnabad area for the family’s security, he said.

    Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a reward of Rs 25 lakh for Katariya in recognition of her great performance at the Olympics.

    He also spoke to the Olympian on Saturday to congratulate her.

     

  • One of the men who hurled casteist slurs at hockey player Vandana Kataria practised with her

    By Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: A case has been registered against two men who hurled casteist slurs on hockey star striker Vandana Kataria’s family in her native village of Roshanabad in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand. 

    The accused — Sumit Chauhan and Vijay Pal — are from the same village. Haridwar police have registered cases against them under section 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and Section 3 in The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. 

    Interestingly, one of the accused is a hockey player himself and used to practise with Kataria about seven years ago, said family members of the Olympian. 

    “He used to practise with my sister and has played hockey for Uttarakhand. This act proves that either he is insane or a traitor. Otherwise, who in his/her right mind is going to celebrate the loss of India even if it is in the sports,” said Pankaj Kataria, brother of the former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team. 

    ALSO READ | ‘India lost because it has too many Dalit players’: Casteist slurs were thrown at hockey star Vandana Katariya’s family

    Vandana’s kin said after the news of the Indian women’s hockey team losing to Argentina was flashed on television, a group of people started bursting crackers, dancing in front of their home and abusing the family. 

    “Just after 10 seconds the match wound up, we heard noises of cracker bursting. We were so in grief that we could not understand what happened. A few minutes later we git to know that some people are dancing in front of our house. They hurled casteist slurs and celebrated the losing of India as if it were something great for them,” said Chandrashekhar Kataria, brother of the Olympian.

    Earlier on Wednesday, Savita Kataria sister-in-law of Vandana Kataria said that she will die by suicide if action was not taken against the culprits following which the case was registered. However, the police officials also added that the family of Kataria and two men have been involved in the tussle. 

    “The families have some issues between them. Initial investigation revealed that this was an act out of jealousy. We are investigating the case,” said an official from the police department involved in the investigation.