Day after Ballabhgarh communal violence: Behind Atali’s second brush with violence, a spat over drinking water
03, Jul 2015
While the Jats in the village admitted that the altercation at the temple had taken place on Tuesday night, they strongly denied allegations about instigating the violence. Written by Aniruddha Ghosal | Published on:July 3, 2015 2:59 am
An altercation between Jats and Dalits over drinking water eventually led to the second round of communal clashes at Ballabhgarh’s Atali village on Wednesday, according to villagers. Around 9 pm on Tuesday, while the last prayers of the day were being offered at the village mosque, a kirtan was going on at the adjacent temple.
“Both Dalits and Jats from the village were participating in the kirtan. After it got over, there was an altercation between the two communities over drinking water. A Jat man asked a Dalit to fetch drinking water. But he said it very rudely which led to an argument and a fight,” said Mohammad Ehsaan, who said he was present during the incident.
