A 19-year-old Dalit youth, Mahendra Kalabhai Parmar, died by suicide after allegedly facing assault and humiliation from five upper-caste men in Vasarda village of Banaskantha district.
According to the FIR filed by Mahendra’s uncle, the youth was beaten near the village panchayat on July 10 by five men from the Rabari community—Khetabhai, Sendhabhai, Rudabhai, Amrabhai, and Lakhabhai—who reportedly objected to him wearing clothes “similar to theirs.”
Mahendra’s body was found two days later in a nearby well. His family believes the caste-based humiliation pushed him to take his life.
Police have filed a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Rabaris, largely a pastoral community, are classified as OBC in Gujarat.
