A tense situation was reported in Aligarh on Wednesday evening after a group of people allegedly assaulted Sachin Raghav, the district president of Kshatriya Yuva Karni Sena, in the Civil Lines area. The attack took place near the Ghantaghar crossing and was linked to objections over a speech delivered by Raghav’s younger brother, Sunder. Videos of the alleged assault have since received attention after the video of the alleged attack went viral.
According to media reports, Sachin Raghav was in the area of the State Bank with his younger brother and friend when the crowd confronted them. The situation quickly escalated to the point where people surrounded Raghav and physically assaulted him. He was chased and beaten up before being taken to Ambedkar Park. His brother and friend, who also tried to intervene, were also beaten up.
The immediate trigger is said to have been comments made by Sunder at a gathering one day earlier. Sunder spoke about different social roles and used the word 'bhangi' to refer to work done to remove dead cattle from canals and ponds. The remarks upset the Valmiki community, and a video of the speech was circulated online and received a lot of attention on social media.
Raghav was taken into Ambedkar Park, where the attackers allegedly forced him to raise slogans of the Valmiki community and Dr. BR Ambedkar. Raghav was beaten with slaps and belts and made to say something in favor of the community and Ambedkar, a former magazine article also reported. A report also mentioned that he suffered an elbow injury in the melee. These details are based on the victim’s account and on news and media reports, and the police investigation is ongoing.
The police went to the location after receiving information about the incident, the report says. The attackers dispersed after they saw the police, while Raghav was taken to a government hospital for medical treatment. Videos of part of the fight came out later on social media, adding to concerns over the incident and the possible impact of the situation on relations between different social groups in the region.
The size of the crowd was different at first sight; some accounts cited as many as a dozen people, while the victim described a much larger gathering. Such numbers have not been independently established and are now part of the investigation. Police are examining video footage and other evidence to find out who was involved.
A complaint was reported, and police have started trying to find the accused. Hindustan said a case was registered against unidentified persons and investigators were trying to identify the people seen in the videos.
Uttar Pradesh – Aligarh:
— Bodhisattva🍁 (@bodhi3attva) September 17, 2026
A mob of Ambedkarites publicly lynched Sachin Raghav, district president of Karni Sena on the road.
A procession was taken out.
His clothes were torn.
He was slapped and thrashed with belts.
He was forced to chant “Jai Bhim” and made to sit in the… pic.twitter.com/shLQ7CULjR
The incident has been happening more frequently than ever because public speeches and social-media videos can quickly escalate local disputes. In this case, the incident started with an objection to remarks made at a public gathering and ended in a physical confrontation in a public place, the police said.
For now, the investigation remains focused on identifying the people involved in the alleged assault and establishing the exact sequence of events. No individual accused in the attack has been conclusively identified in the reports reviewed for this article. Police action and any further legal proceedings will depend on the evidence collected during the investigation.
The Aligarh incident has also raised the issue of how to prevent disputes over caste-related rhetoric from boiling over into violence. Any objection to a speech or public statement can be addressed through lawful channels, while responsibility for the alleged assault must be determined through evidence and due process.
