Dalit man beaten up in Palanpur for donning good clothes, ‘flying too high’
Wearing good clothes and sporting sunglasses cost a Dalit youth heavily in North Gujarat when he was thrashed by upper caste bullies who also roughed up his mother for trying to rescue her son.
Police said on Thursday that the incident occurred at Mota village in Palanpur taluka on Tuesday night and an FIR has been filed against seven persons following a complaint by Jigar Shekhalia, the victim.
‘Don’t try to fly too high’
According to Jigar, he was standing outside his home on Tuesday morning when one of the accused persons came to him and threatened to kill him if he did not stop trying to “fly too high” by dressing up and wearing goggles. He also subjected him to abuse and foul language.
When he was standing near a village temple the same night, six others with Rajput surnames armed with batons gheraoed him and screamed at him for trying to “dress up like upper caste people.”
They dragged him behind a dairy parlour and started caning him. And as his mother rushed trying to rescue him they thrashed her and even tore her clothes, according to the police complaint by Jigar.
FIR against seven accused
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. Nobody has been arrested so far.
