Dalit Bride Pulled Down From Mare in Udaipur: Pooja Meghwal’s Symbolic Procession Becomes a Powerful Protest Against Caste Discrimination
Nearly eight decades after Independence, stories of caste discrimination continue to emerge from different parts of the country, often exposing how deeply entrenched social prejudices remain.
In Rajasthan’s Mewar region, one such incident involving a young Dalit bride has sparked outrage and renewed conversations around dignity, equality and social justice.
What began as a traditional wedding procession for 24-year-old Pooja Meghwal in Udaipur soon turned into a painful reminder of the caste barriers that many marginalized communities still face in everyday life.
On April 29, Pooja’s bindoli procession was allegedly attacked while passing through Dhira Talai village under Dabok police station limits.
According to her family, some residents objected to the Dalit bride riding a mare and taking the procession past their homes. The confrontation soon escalated into violence.
But the image that stayed with people across Rajasthan came days later.
On May 7, Pooja once again rode a white mare through Udaipur — this time not merely as a bride, but as a symbol of resistance and dignity.
Dressed in a flowing turquoise blue poshak, seated beneath a red-and-golden ceremonial umbrella, she carried photographs of social reformers Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule in her hands, quietly transforming the procession into a statement against caste discrimination.
The symbolic march, organized by the Bhim Army and supported by several Dalit organizations, moved from Udaipur’s Town Hall to the Collectorate amid loud chants of “Jai Bhim” and slogans demanding equal rights and respect for marginalized communities.
Hundreds joined the procession, many dressed in white with blue scarves around their necks and blue flags in their hands bearing photographs of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
Placards carried messages against untouchability and caste-based discrimination.
For Pooja’s family, the march was not just about one incident, but about asserting their humanity and constitutional rights.
“We wanted to show that we are also human beings and equal citizens of this country,” Pooja’s father, Bhairulal Meghwal, said. “It has been almost 80 years since Independence, but the mentality of untouchability still exists in society.”
According to him, Dalit families in parts of the Mewar region continue to face resistance whenever grooms or brides ride horses during wedding ceremonies — a tradition often seen as a symbol of honour and pride.
“The upper castes here do not want Dalits to sit on a mare. Such incidents keep happening in this region,” he alleged, adding that a memorandum had been submitted to the administration demanding stricter action.
Roshan Meghwal, senior vice-president of Bhim Army in Udaipur and one of the organizers of the symbolic procession, said the march was intended to send a message that dignity cannot be denied based on caste.
He invoked the legacy of Savitribai Phule, one of India’s earliest women educators and social reformers, saying it was because of reformers like her that women today have equal rights in many spheres.
“Then why should a woman still be stopped from riding a mare?” he asked.
He further said that while the country speaks proudly about entering ‘Amrit Kaal’, many Dalits are still prevented from exercising basic social freedoms.
“This is a democratic nation. Everyone has an equal right to live with dignity and respect,” he said.
According to the FIR lodged by Bhairulal Meghwal, the violence began when the wedding procession was passing through the village road.
He alleged that several people stopped the procession, hurled casteist abuses and threatened them with bloodshed if the bindoli was not removed from the route.
The complaint alleges that the situation soon spiralled into chaos.
The DJ music was stopped, the bride was forcibly pulled down from the mare, stones were thrown at guests, and several people were allegedly attacked with sticks, rods and swords.
Women and children from the accused side were also allegedly involved in pelting stones during the clash.
The family claimed that in the violence, several guests sustained injuries and valuables, including jewellery, watches and mangalsutras belonging to women, were snatched away.
Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint, and voluntarily causing hurt, along with provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The FIR names several accused, including Laxman Singh, Madhu Singh, Kishan Singh, Udai Singh, Arjun Singh, Takhat Singh, Fateh Singh, Vikram Singh and Manju Kunwar.
However, members of the Bhim Army alleged that only four people had been arrested so far.
In the memorandum submitted after the symbolic procession, they demanded an impartial investigation and stricter legal action.
The organization also alleged that one of the accused attacked people with a sword and demanded that provisions of the Arms Act be added to the FIR.
They further claimed that several others involved in the violence had not yet been named in the police complaint.
Beyond the immediate incident, the memorandum highlighted what activists described as continuing discrimination faced by Dalit communities across Rajasthan.
It is alleged that in many areas, members of the Scheduled Castes still encounter restrictions in accessing drinking water sources, entering temples and public places, visiting barber shops, and even during funeral and cremation rituals.
Activists demanded stronger enforcement of anti-discrimination laws and concrete action to dismantle caste-based social practices that continue despite constitutional guarantees of equality.
For many watching the symbolic bindoli in Udaipur, Pooja Meghwal’s second ride on the mare became more than a wedding ritual.
It became an assertion of dignity — a reminder that for countless people in India, the struggle for equality is still deeply personal and painfully unfinished.
