Dalit beaten for wearing good clothes, shades

Upper caste members thrash victim’s mom too, 7 booked

Palanpur, Jun 1: A dalit man was allegedly beaten up by a group of persons from an upper caste community at a village in Banaskantha district of Gujarat as the accused were upset with him for wearing good clothes and sunglasses, police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred at Mota village in Palanpur taluka on Tuesday night, they said, adding that the victim and his mother, who was also attacked by them, were undergoing treatment at a hospital at present.

A first information report (FIR) was filed against seven persons on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim, Jigar Shekhalia, who accused them of beating him and his mother as they were displeased with him for getting dressed up and wearing goggles.

The complaint said that when the victim was standing outside his house, one of the seven accused approached him. He abused the victim and threatened to kill him saying he was “flying too high these days”.

The same night, when the complainant was standing outside a village temple six accused from the community with Rajput surname came towards him.

Armed with sticks, they asked him why he was dressed up, wore sunglasses then thrashed and dragged him behind a dairy parlour.

When his mother rushed to save him, they assaulted her as well and threatened to kill her.

They even tore her clothes, the police said citing the complaint. The FIR against the seven accused was registered at Gadh police station under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections pertaining to rioting, unlawful assembly, outraging the modesty of a woman, voluntarily causing hurt, using abusive language, etc.

They were also booked under relevant sections of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. No arrest has been made in connection with the incident so far, the police official said.

A deep interrogation behind the heinous incident is underway with all the seven booked accused.