Village in Guj declares social boycott of scheduled caste residents after FIR against Patidar woman
police resolve issue
Botad, Aug 29: The arrest of an upper caste woman for allegedly stopping Dalits from entering a temple in a village in Gujarat's Botad district led to the social boycott of residents of the scheduled Caste (SC) community but the issue was resolved after police brokered peace, an official said on Monday.
The incident occurred on August 18 when four women belonging to the SC community went to a temple in Limbadiya village to offer prayers. However, they were stopped by a woman from the Patidar community who told them that Dalits are not allowed inside the temple.
She allegedly hurled casteist slurs at the women and stopped them from entering the temple, as per the First Information Report (FIR).
A case was registered on the same day under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe ((Prevention of Atrocities Act) and the accused woman was arrested on August 19. She was sent to jail after completion of remand, said Dhasa police station inspector BM Pandit.
Unhappy with the development, villagers in Limbadiya issued a diktat asking shopkeepers and others to boycott Dalit residents, claimed Amru Makwana, a local leader.
"We were also not given any work by villagers due to which 25 Dailt families may have to migrate to some other place," Makwana told reporters on Monday afternoon when he and other members of his community reached the Dhasa police station for a meeting.
Pandit said police rushed to the village before the matter could escalate and resolved the issue by arranging a meeting with all the community leaders, following which Dalits entered the temple and also bought groceries from shops.
"During the meeting, everyone agreed to end the impasse and live peacefully. The issue of the boycott has been resolved amicably," the police officer said.
Dalit leader Pravin Rathod said members of his community purchased groceries from shops in the village after the police and media intervened.
"A barber also cut the hair of a Dalit man. We visited the temple. The issue is resolved," he added.
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Family of injured driver in murder of Suvendu's aide seeks exemplary punishment
Kolkata (PTI): The family of Buddhabeb Bera, the driver injured in the shooting that killed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's close aide Chandranath Rath, demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible and urged the new government to ensure such incidents do not happen in West Bengal.
Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram near Kolkata on Wednesday night, triggering a political storm in the state. Bera, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the attack, sustained gunshot wounds and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Family members said they learned about the incident through television and immediately left for Kolkata.
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"We came to know from TV reports that my nephew had been shot. We still do not know who carried out the attack or why it happened," Buddhabeb's uncle Biswajit Bera said.
"Our only wish now is that he recovers and returns home safely," he added.
Buddhabeb, 25, hails from Majnaberia village in the Chandipur police station area in Purba Medinipur district.
According to family members, he mostly stays in Kolkata for work and visits home occasionally during weekends.
Besides his parents, his younger brother, sister-in-law and several relatives have also travelled to Kolkata following the incident.
Demanding strict action against the perpetrators, the uncle said, "We want the government to conduct a proper investigation and identify those directly involved in the crime. They should be given exemplary punishment so that such incidents do not happen again in West Bengal and no other family has to go through this grief."
A neighbour, Ranjana Ghorai, also sought stringent punishment for those behind the attack.
"In our neighbourhood, we call him Sona. We want exemplary punishment for the people responsible for this incident," she said.
Rath's family members have demanded life imprisonment for the accused, while Adhikari has called for capital punishment for those involved in the killing.
