Dalit sarpanch killed in Gujarat, 1 arrested

FAMILY MEMBERS of a Dalit sarpanch in Amreli district, who wasstabbedtodeathallegedlyby three men over an old dispute, have refused to claim the body, demanding immediate arrest of the accused. The sarpanch of Varasdavillagewaskilledtuesday evening and police, so far, have made one arrest in the case.

Jaysukh Madhad, 30, was stabbed and also hit with iron pipes, police said on Wednesday. While the attackers managed to flee, Madhad died on the way to the Amreli Civil Hospital.

Following Madhad’s death, a group of Dalits protested outside the hospital and his family members refused to claim the body.

In his complaint, Madhad’s elder brother Aravind named Deepdhadhal,yuvidhadhalandmadhuvala—allresidentsofvarasda — as accused. The complainant said the accused assaulted his brother because of a dispute during the village panchayat election in December last year.

Amreli SP Jagdish Patel said prima facie rivalry at the time of election led to the murder. “The work of developing underground drainage line is going on in the village. Deep had demanded that more stone be used for paving the road in front of his house after it was dug up for laying the drainage line. He had a dispute over this with the sarpanch. Deep had also been demanding a letterhead of the village panchayat from the sarpanch, saying that he needed it for a visa application but the sarpanch had told him that he will give it after seeking legal advice. Additionally, Deep’s father had fielded a panel of his own at the village panchayat election, but it had lost to the panel of Madhad. In the backdrop of all this, the duo entered in an argument on Tuesday evening and Deep stabbed the victim in thigh. Madhad died of excessive bleeding,” Patel told The Indian Express on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, police arrested Deep on Wednesday morning and officers said efforts were on persuade Madhad’s family to claim the body. “Efforts are on to nab the two other accused also,” the SP said.