Three held over death of Dalit horse-owner in Gujarat

A day after a 21-year-old Dalit man was reportedly killed for keeping and riding a horse in a village in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, local police have detained three persons in connection with the murder.

However, a senior police official from Bhavnagar said on Saturday, “It is not yet established that the deceased was killed for keeping a horse. There might have been other reasons also. Only after the arrest of those involved and their interrogation can we say what led to his murder.”

Pradeep Rathod was killed on Thursday night.

His family has alleged that some people from the upper castes had not liked him keeping a horse in the house and had threatened to kill him several times in the past.