In Himatnagar, Gujarat, a Dalit labourer was allegedly beaten and abused with casteist slurs after he expressed his wish to visit a temple. The victim, 38-year-old Shailesh Solanki, a daily-wage worker from Khedawada Lakshmipura village, has lodged a complaint with Himatnagar rural police.
According to the FIR, the incident took place on the evening of September 26. Solanki was waiting for transport near a crossroads in Balochpur when he was stopped by Bharat Patel of Dhanpura, who was on a scooter. Patel accused him of loitering and asked about his identity. Solanki told him he was on his way to the Kal Bhairav temple, but Patel did not believe him and asked for proof.
Solanki said, “I gave him my Aadhaar card. When he saw my surname, he asked if I belonged to a scheduled caste. When I told him I was a Dalit, he started abusing me. He asked me why I, being a Dalit, had come to visit a temple at night, and then slapped me several times while hurling caste-based abuses.”
Soon after, two men from Titpur village, Narendrasinh Parmar and Jagatsinh Parmar, arrived on a motorcycle and stopped the assault. But Patel allegedly forced Solanki onto his scooter, drove him to another area near Ghorwada, and threatened him with “serious consequences” if he returned.
Solanki later confided in his family and met the two men who had intervened, who also agreed to be witnesses. Based on his complaint, the police registered a case under assault and intimidation charges along with provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The investigation is underway.
