Cops foil women's group bid to protest against arrest of 'innocent' Dalits

Police today thwarted an attempt by a women's group to stage a demonstration against alleged wrongful arrest of some innocent Dalits in connection with caste clashes here.
Mahila Adhikar Manch had threatened to stage a demonstration against the arrest of some "innocent" Dalits in connection with violence and clashes in various parts of Saharanpur since May 5.
The Manch claimed that some Dalits arrested were innocent and it had planned to submit a memorandum to the district administration in this regard.
But the police and the paramilitary personnel deployed at the entrances of the district headquarters allowed people to enter only after vetting them.

Additional SP Prabal Pratap Singh said the forces were deployed as a preventive measure and no organisation had sort permission for a demonstration.
Violence first broke out in Saharanpur about a month ago following a procession to mark Ambedkar Jayanti. On May 5, a person was killed and 15 people were injured in clashes between Dalits and upper caste Thakurs.
About a dozen police vehicles were set ablaze and 12 policemen were injured on May 9. On May 23, another person was shot dead and two others were wounded.