U'khand ex-CM stages protest over Dalit youth's killing at wedding

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat staged a silent protest here on Monday against the death of a Dalit youth who was allegedly beaten up by upper-caste people for eating in front of them at a wedding.

The Congress general secretary held the hour-long protest with his supporters in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Gandhi Park.

Rawat demanded that the ruling BJP government in the state must immediately extend financial help to the deceased's family as the youth was the sole breadwinner.

Rawat, who had met the family of the deceased in their village on Sunday, expressed shock and said it was a "blot" on the name of Uttarkhand.

Jeetendra Das, 23, had died on May 5, nine days after he was beaten up by upper-caste men for daring to eat in the same row with them at a wedding reception in Shrikot village of Tehri Garhwal district.