Events meant to unite communities become the very places where vulnerable communities are excluded. A recent incident in Gujarat has brought these concerns back into sharp focus.
Four women from Bharodi village in Virpur taluka of Mahisagar district, Gujarat, have been booked for allegedly humiliating and assaulting a Dalit woman at a village Garba event on Friday night.
According to reports, the incident took place when Rinku Vankar, a 25-year-old fourth-year student at Government Engineering College (GEC), Gandhinagar, joined the Garba with her friend.
As per the First Information Report (FIR) lodged at Virpur police station, Vankar was confronted by Loma Patel, Roshni Patel, and Vrushti Patel, who objected to her participation. “They began abusing and humiliating her,” the FIR states.
After an argument broke out, the women allegedly used casteist slurs and said, “These people are not equal to us and cannot play Garba with us.”
Vankar stated that she responded by having the sound system for the garba turned off and reported the incident to Pravin Narsinh Thakor. “But at that moment, Loma, Roshni and Meena Patel joined together and began assaulting me…,” she added in the FIR.
The women grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the venue, she said in her statement.
Meanwhile, others stopped her from recording the incident.
She went on to say that in addition to hurling casteist insults. They also threatened to harm her if she attended the event again.
The four accused have been charged under sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 54 (crime committed in presence of abettor), 351(1) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Safin Hasan, Superintendent of Police, Mahisagar, told a national daily that an investigation was underway, led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police from the SC/ST Cell. He said that, as per a Supreme Court precedent and existing guidelines, the arrest of the accused is prohibited in cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act where the punishment is less than seven years.
He added that notices had been issued to the accused as part of the process for preventive action, and their statements were being recorded.
Also Read: Costliest Garba Pass Of Gujarat! https://www.vibesofindia.com/costliest-garba-pass-of-gujarat/
