A Dalit community has been facing a social boycott from upper caste community for using horses for a marriage function. The shocking incident has been reported from Lhor village of Mehsana district in Gujarat.
Based on the complaint of the bridegroom’s father, police on Thursday registered an FIR against five upper caste men, including the sarpanch and deputy sarpanch of the village, under different provisions of the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code.
According to the complaint lodged by Manubhai Parmar (50), his eldest son Mehul (24) got married on May 7. They took out a wedding procession in the village with the groom riding a horse. A day after the wedding an announcement was made at the village temple by sarpanch Vinu Thakor and deputy sarpanch Baldev Thakor asking villagers, except the ‘Harijans’ (Dalits), to assemble at the village panchayat.
At the panchayat, upper caste people said that they were “disturbed” over the marriage procession of Mehul as they felt the Dalits in the village “did not maintain their limits”.
According to the FIR, the five men named by Parmar — sarpanch Viju, deputy sarpanch Baldev, Bhopa Thakor, Manu Barot and Gabha Thakor — called for boycotting the Dalits. As part of the boycott, it was reportedly decided that nobody will give any food and work to Dalits or let them sit in vehicles. It was also reportedly decided that anybody who is found to be violating the “rules of the social boycott” would be not only be fined Rs 5,000 but will also be forced out of the village.
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