Gujarat: Dalits thrashed for ‘sporting moustache’, 1 arrested
Two Dalit men of a village near Gandhinagar in Gujarat were allegedly thrashed by members of Rajput community for "sporting a moustache" in two separate incidents, the police said on Sunday.
The incidents occurred on September 25 and September 29 at Limbodara village in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar district.
In the September 29 incident, Krunal Maheria (30), a law student, was allegedly beaten up by one Bharatsinh Vaghela.
In his complaint to the Kalol taluka police, Maheria claimed that Vaghela assaulted him for sporting a moustache.
"When I was visiting my friend on Friday night, Vaghela and some others intercepted me and verbally abused me. Vaghela told me that I cannot become a Rajput by just sporting a moustache. When I ignored him, Vaghela beat me up with a stick," Maheria said on Sunday.
He returned his home on Sunday after undergoing treatment at the Gandhinagar civil hospital.
Based
on
his
complaint,
police
had
lodged
an
FIR
against
Vaghela
under
section
323
(punishment
for
voluntarily
causing
hurt)
of
the
IPC
and
under
the
Prevention
of
Atrocities
Act,
a
Kalol
taluka
police
official
said.
He
said
Vaghela
was
arrested
on
Sunday.
"A cross complaint was also registered against Maheria under the IPC section 323. Today, we have arrested Vaghela," the official said.
A similar case was reported in Limbodara village on September 25, when some members of Rajput community allegedly thrashed Piyush Parmar (24).
PTI