There has been no such issue in the past between the two communities in the village. (Representational)
Three persons were detained by the Vadodara rural police on Thursday for allegedly thrashing a Dalit youth and using casteist slurs against him in Gavasad village of Padra taluka.
According to the complaint filed by Chiragkumar Rohit (18), he was practising for entrance examinations of the armed forces when the accused allegedly used casteist slur against him and ridiculed him for aspiring to join the Indian Army. The complainant is an undergraduate student at the MS University of Baroda and aspires to join the Indian Army for which he was undergoing physical training, police said.
On Wednesday evening, he was jogging in the ground near his village, where a few youths from the Patel community, including the son of the village sarpanch, were playing cricket. One of them allegedly made a casteist slur against him as others joined to make fun of him.
Rohit returned home to inform his brothers who came to the ground to confront the group. By the time they reached, only three of the accused who have been named in the FIR were present on the ground. As Rohit’s brother confronted them, they reiterated the casteist slur and thrashed Rohit and his brother, the complaint stated. The accused then fled the spot.
“We have detained the accused and have sent them for Covid-19 testing. There has been no such issue in the past between the two communities in the village. As per our preliminary investigations, the youths from the village have never clashed and none of them involved in the matter have had any old rivalry or fight. The village has a mixed population, said Deepak Gor, Deputy Superintendent of Police, SC/ST cell, Vadodara rural.