Amreli, May 23 (PTI): A 20-year-old Dalit man who was thrashed on May 16 in Gujarat's Amreli district over a trivial issue along with three others by a mob has died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bhavnagar, a police official said on Friday.

Nilesh Rathod died on Thursday night, and the nine held after registration of FIR on the day of the incident will now face murder charges, informed Deputy Superintendent of Police Nayna Goradia.

The youth was reportedly thrashed by 13 persons after he addressed a shop owner's son as "beta" (son) while buying wafers.

Dalit leader and Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani, following Rathod's death, met the latter's family and announced they will not claim the body till certain demands are met, including a government job or four acres of land to each of the four victims as well as arrest of all those involved.

"The accused must be booked under Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act and a public prosecutor of the family's choice must be appointed. If our demands are not met, the family will not claim Rathod's body," said Mevani.

Deputy SP Goradia said the district administration was trying to convince the family to claim's Rathod's body.

"Of the 13 accused, we have arrested nine. Efforts are on to nab the remaining four. While Rathod succumbed to injuries, the other three who were thrashed are out of danger," Goradia said.

The incident took place on May 16 when Dalit youths Lalji Chauhan, Bhavesh Rathod, Suresh Vala and Nilesh Rathod proceeded to buy wafers from a shop before having lunch at an eatery along Savarkundla road in Amreli town.

The wafers shop owner Chotha Bharwad got angry when Nilesh addressed his teenage son as "beta" and hurled casteist abuses on finding out that the latter was a Dalit, as per the FIR. The main accused belongs to the Other Backward Classes.

When three others went to the shop to understand what happened, Bharwad and one Vijay Tota started thrashing them and also called around 9-10 others at the spot. These men, armed with sticks and axes, started hitting these youths in an indiscriminate manner and forced them to run for cover in the fields. They stopped only after an elderly man intervened.

Based on a complaint given by Lalji Chauhan, who was admitted to a hospital in Amreli, police lodged an FIR and arrested nine men, including Bharwad, on charges of assault, rioting and unlawful assembly. Now, they will face murder charges, police said.

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Belthangady (PTI): In connection with the Dharmasthala mass burial case, officers of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) brought the key witness and complainant to the Netravati riverbank in Dharmasthala under tight police security for a spot inspection on Sunday afternoon.

The inspection began around 1 PM at the bathing ghat area near the river, where the complainant identified the alleged burial site. A heavy security blanket was deployed across the area, and officers from multiple departments were stationed at the location.

Senior officers including Jitendra Kumar Dayama and C.A. Simon led the inspection, coordinating the on-site proceedings.

As news of the inspection spread, several local residents gathered near the bathing ghat, curious to witness the development. However, the SIT officers escorted the witness deep into the forest area nearby, where he is said to have pointed out the exact spots where multiple bodies were allegedly buried.

Sources indicate that the inspection could go on for several more hours.