Gujarat: 28 Booked For Hurling Stones At Dalit Groom In Wedding Procession

Gujarat's Banaskantha district witnessed yet another incident of caste-related discrimination when a Dalit groom was stopped from riding a horse in his wedding procession. The Police has lodged FIRs against 28 people, including a village Sarpanch. One person was injured during the stone-pelting episode. The incident took place at Mota village in Palanpur Taluka when the procession was passing through the village and some unknown persons hurled two-three stones, thus injuring a relative of the groom.

The Police registered the FIR when a complaint was filed by Virabhai Sekhalia, the father of the groom, who had planned his son's wedding with a girl from a nearby village. The Print quoted that when the village Sarpanch of Mota village, Bharatsinh Rajput, who is one amongst the booked and several others got to know that the groom would be riding a horse to the bride's house, they called him and threatened him against the idea, or bear the consequences. The village Sarpanch called a meeting on Sunday to discuss when Sekhalia remained firm on his decision.

Wedding Procession Was Moving Under Police Protection

The complainant alleged that his family was told in the Panchayat that 'people from the Scheduled Castes community cannot sit on the horse because that has been the tradition for centuries'. The accused group had also threatened the family that they would have to suffer the repercussions if their diktat was not followed. When the procession began under police protection and reached near a milk shop on Monday morning, some of the accused raised an objection over members of the marriage party wearing 'safas' (turbans), according to the complaint. The FIR also mentioned that while unknown miscreants hurled stones at the procession that was moving under police protection, other people shouted casteist remarks.

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