Case filed as Dalit family claims casteist remarks hurled by man

Bharuch District Collector Tushar Sumera has been urged to take strict action by community members

Two days after a Dalit woman filed a police complaint, accusing a man in her village in Bharuch of making casteist remarks against her daughter and her family, several members of the community handed over a memorandum to District Collector Tushar Sumera on Monday.

The Collector has been requested to ensure strict action against the accused. They said the accused made derogatory remarks publicly about the community and issued threats.

Deputy Superintendent of Police SC/ST Cell R R Sarvaiya said, “Our teams are deployed to trace and arrest the accused. We have taken statements from witnesses, and at present, we are collecting evidence like CCTV footage against him.”

On Saturday, Sumitra Rathod and her husband Ashok Parmar lodged a complaint with the Dahej Police Station in Jolva village against Vijay Barad, who is also a resident of the same village. Barad, she alleged, scolded her daughter and hurled casteist remarks when the Class 12 student was headed to school on Friday.

This was after, the complaint stated, Barad’s daughter allegedly made similar disparaging remarks on Thursday against the complainant’s daughter amid an argument over a bus seat. Barad publicly humiliated Sumitra’s daughter at the bus stand, she told police. Her daughter, she further added, came back home crying and told her about the harassment.

As the conflict escalated, Vijay Barad allegedly made casteist remarks against Sumitra and her husband Ashok Parmar on Saturday in front of panchayat members. Talking to The Indian Express Sumitra Parmar said, “Vijay Barad had not only humiliated my daughter, he humiliated our caste in front of panchayat members. The panchayat deputy sarpanch and others tried to stop him but he did not relent. We want that such a person should be strictly punished.”

An FIR has been registered under IPC sections 504, 506(2), and various sections of the SC/ST Act

Courtesy : TIE

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