Eight held for attack on Dalit groom riding horse

Palanpur: Eight persons were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting a 27-year-old groom after pulling him down from a horse and then subjecting him to casteist slurs during a wedding procession in Saripad village, about 12km from Palanpur on Sunday.
Of the 11 accused in the case, police arrested Bhemji Thakor, Shivaji Thakor, Jituji Thakor, Vinodji Thakor, Ramji Thakor and Deepak Thakor; all residents of Saripda village. Three accused are still on the run.
The accused were booked under Prevention of Atrocities Against SCs & STs Act.
According to case details, Aakash Kotiya (Parmar), an army jawan, was attacked when he was on way to Sundha village in the wedding procession. The accused had first gone to Kotiya’s house on learning that they were planning to take out his marriage procession on a horse and hurled casteist slurs at him and his family. They told Kotiya that he had to take birth as upper caste if he wanted to ride a horse.
The victim family then called up the police control room to seek protection for the procession. However, when the procession reached a local dairy, the group of accused persons came there and dragged down Aakash from the horse. They allegedly even snatched his sword and thrashed him.