A Dalit Deputy Sarpanch from a village in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district has filed a police complaint against eight persons for allegedly intimidating him and using casteist slurs during a village meeting over the demolition of a dilapidated bird feeder tower.
The incident was reported from Memadpur village in Prantij tehsil on February 26.
Dispute Over Demolition of Bird Feeder Tower
The complainant, Kanjibhai Arkhabhai, who has been serving as Deputy Sarpanch for the past six months, stated in his complaint that the gram panchayat had passed a resolution to remove a bird feeding tower because it was in a dangerous condition.
According to the First Information Report registered at Prantij Police Station, Kanjibhai had gone to the site on February 25 along with other villagers after the resolution was passed. At that time, some villagers objected and claimed that the structure had been built by their ancestors and should not be demolished.
Kanjibhai and other panchayat members told them that the issue would be discussed in a meeting later that evening.
During the meeting held around 8.30 pm in the presence of village leaders, one of the accused allegedly said that since their ancestors had built the bird feeder tower, they would demolish it themselves and construct a new one.
Allegations of Casteist Slurs and Threats
In his complaint, Kanjibhai alleged that during the meeting he was targeted personally and abused with caste related slurs. He claimed that the accused blamed him for pushing the decision to demolish the structure and accused him of acting against their interests.
The complaint further states that the situation turned tense and a scuffle broke out. The accused allegedly threatened the Deputy Sarpanch and others and warned them not to proceed with the demolition of the tower.
Kanjibhai said in his complaint that he felt humiliated and intimidated by the behaviour of the accused during the public meeting.
FIR Registered Under SC ST Act
Based on his complaint, police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act.
The eight persons named in the FIR have been identified as Atulsinh Parmar, Rameshji Chauhan, Himmatsinh Parmar, Manharsinh Parmar, Pintusinh Parmar, Udesinh Parmar, Hathhisinh Parmar and Aniruddhsinh Parmar.
Deputy Superintendent of Police A K Patel, who is investigating the case, said that the investigation is currently underway. “We have registered the FIR and are examining the matter. No arrests have been made so far,” he said.
Police officials said statements of witnesses are being recorded and further action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
