Gujarat: Dalit man seeking sand mining lease attacked in Botad

AHMEDABAD: A 26-year-old man in district alleged of being attacked by two men for seeking lease of sand mining on Saturday afternoon. Dipak Makwana, resident of Meghaninagar in Ranpur, who is also the district president of Rashtriya Adhikar Manch of independent MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, on Sunday filed a complaint with Ranpur police in this regard.

In his FIR, Makwana said that he was sitting at a hotel with a friend discussing business when the two accused — Lala Boliya and Rama Boliya — rushed to him and began hurling caste-based slurs on him.

Thereafter, he stated the duo also attacked him with iron rods and beat him on his legs leaving him severely injured. Makwana added that the duo later tried to stab and kill him too. But he saved himself and as a result suffered severe injuries on his right-hand thumb. He was also slashed on the right shoulder.

“While beating me, Lala also threatened me saying that he had murdered a person and can kill another person. They were uttering caste-based abuses on me objecting to why I had sought the lease for sand mining,” Makwana told the police.

The accused allegedly said that a person belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) community cannot seek a
. According to Makwana’s FIR, the accused too had sought lease for sand mining. Makwana alleged that the duo snatched away his gold chain worth Rs 1.6 lakh stating that a Dalit cannot wear gold ornaments.

Makwana was taken to Ranpur community health centre and later referred to a private hospital in Botad where he underwent surgeries on both legs. Botad police registered a case of causing grievous hurt along with the charges of SC/ST (prevention of Atrocities Act) against accused Rama and Lala.

Courtesy: India times

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