UP: Violence against Dalit families over land dispute in Deoband, police prevent MP Chandrashekhar Azad from meeting the victims
Azad warned that if immediate action is not taken, the issue will resonate from the streets to the House and the Bahujan Samaj will be forced to wage a decisive struggle for its rights.
Published on: May 10, 2026, 5:13 pm
Saharanpur: On Saturday, a heated dispute over two bighas of land belonging to the Bahujan Samaj in the village of Lalwala, under the Deoband police station in Saharanpur district, escalated into violence. According to the Bahujan Samaj, the land had been forcibly occupied and now efforts were being made to begin construction on it, which the local Dalit-Bahujan community opposed. During the protest, the occupying side reportedly resorted to firing and a deadly attack, injuring several people.
The situation worsened after the police arrived. The victims allege that the police brutally lathi-charged them, sparing even women, children, and the elderly. Several people were seriously injured in the lathi-charge. Following the incident, a heavy police force was deployed in the area, and a tense atmosphere prevailed.
On Sunday, Nagina MP and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was scheduled to visit Lalwala to meet the injured and the families of the victims, but the administration stopped him at his Chhutmalpur residence. A large number of police personnel were deployed outside his house. Chandrashekhar Azad described the entire incident as an attack on the Bahujan Samaj.
Azad said in a post on his social media, “The land of the Bahujan Samaj in Lalwala, which was first forcibly occupied and now construction work is being done on it, is not only encroachment of land but also a direct attack on the constitutional rights of the Bahujan Samaj. When the Dalit community raised their voice to protect their rights and land, they were fired upon and attacked with lethal weapons by the encroachers. But the most shameful and dangerous thing is that the police, who are responsible for security, were seen committing atrocities. The lathi charge by the police was so brutal that even women, children and the elderly were not spared.”
Chandrashekhar Azad, while tagging Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Uttar Pradesh government, further wrote, “Chief Minister, this incident is not just from Saharanpur, but a horrific picture of the injustice being done to Dalits in the entire state. If the protectors themselves become predators, then from whom should the common people expect justice? Our clear demands from the government are: 1. Those who forcibly occupied the land should be immediately arrested and a case should be registered against them under strict sections. 2. The guilty policemen should be immediately suspended and criminal action should be taken against them. 3. A case should be registered under strict sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. 4. All the injured should be given better treatment and respectable compensation. 5. The affected families should be provided immediate security.”
He warned that if immediate action is not taken, this issue will resonate from the streets to the House and the Bahujan Samaj will be forced to wage a decisive struggle for its rights.
Local media reported the incident as a clash between the Thakur and Dalit communities over an old land dispute and the installation of a statue of Maharana Pratap. The administration said police forces were deployed to maintain peace.
