A Dalit youth in Gujarat’s Junagadh was brutally beaten, robbed, and threatened with death on August 16, making it the third such caste atrocity in the state within just 21 days. The assault, captured in a viral video, once again highlights the persistence of caste violence in India.
The victim had gone to meet a friend when a boy approached him, asking for help, claiming his brother was being taken away. Trusting him, the Dalit youth and his friend followed to the Swami Vivekanand School ground, only to realize it was a trap.
There, three upper-caste youths confronted him, asking about his background. When he revealed he was from Kadiawad, the attackers, identified as Hitesh and two others, hurled casteist slurs and assaulted him with belts and sticks, leaving injury marks across his body. They also snatched his mobile phone and warned him against reporting the matter.
“They beat me up with a belt and a stick, robbed my phone, and threatened my life. Today it’s me, tomorrow it could be someone else. I only demand justice,” the victim said from Junagadh Civil Hospital, where he is being treated.
Police have registered a case under multiple sections of the IPC at Junagadh A Division Police Station. Separate teams have been formed to trace the accused.
DySP Hitesh Dhandhaliya said, “Strict legal action will be taken at the earliest.”
This is the third major case of caste violence against Dalits in Gujarat in less than a month.
