Ahmedabad: Though Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Atrocities Act has been enforced in India, atrocities against Dalit people is a never-ending story where recently a 48-year-old Dalit woman working for Panchayath was assaulted for sitting in the chair.
Members from the Darbar community on seeing Pallvi Jadhav sitting on a chair at the Panchayath’s office assaulted and kicked her to make her fall on to the ground/
Pallavi, an Anganwadi worker was given the task of issuing Aadhaar cards when the miscreants from the Darbar community arrived. She is the aunt of Maulik Jadhav who was recently assaulted for adding the suffix ‘Sinh’ to his name, TOI reported.
According to the Police FIR registered at Koth police station in Ahmedabad district on Thursday, Jayrajsinh Vegad, from the community and among the 10 accused persons in the incident asked Pallavi why she was sitting on a chair in the panchayat’s office and kicked the chair following which Pallavi fell off it while the other Nine men started abusing and assaulting the Dalits with casteist slurs, sticks and iron-pipes.
“Pallavi Jadhav was involved in Aadhaar card work at the panchayat office, on the campus of the village school. Vegad came there, abused her with casteist slurs and knocked her off the chair. Nine persons (all from the Darbar community) then came and attacked her with sticks, pipes and a bladed agricultural implement,” the FIR read.
“When her son Jigar and husband Ganpat rushed to the spot to rescue her, they were also attacked by Vadher and 10 other accused persons.”
The 10 accused in the case were identified as Kanu Chavda, Gambhu Vegad, Sanjay Vegad, Bharat Vegad, Lalu Vegad, Prabhat Vegad, Ghanshyam Vegad, Mahendra Vegad, Ranu Chavda, Jayraj Vegad and the son of Babu Nathubhai.
Maulik Jadhav said: “The Darbars were trying to harass Dalits after I lodged a complaint against members of their community members who had objected to my using ‘Sinh’ with my name. The woman who was beaten brutally is my aunt and is being treated at a private hospital for severe injuries to her head.”
The Police has now booked the Darbar community members under various sections of IPC and SC/ST Act for assault, criminal intimidation.