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A forty-eight-year-old Dalit woman anganwadi worker tasked with issuing Aadhaar cards, was allegedly attacked by a member of the Darbar community, for “sitting on a chair at the panchayat office”.
The woman, Pallavi Jadhav, is the aunt of Maulik Jadhav, who was assaulted last month for adding the suffix ‘Sinh’ to his name.
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According to the FIR registered at Koth police station in Ahmedabad district on Thursday, Jayrajsinh Vegad, one of the 10 accused persons, asked Pallavi why she was sitting on a chair and kicked the chair, causing Pallavi to fall off it. Nine other men of the Darbar community then came to the panchayat office and started abusing Dalits with casteist slurs and attacked them with sticks and iron-pipes.
“Pallavi Jadhav was involved in Aadhaar card work at the panchayat office, on the campus of the village school. Vegad came there, abused her with casteist slurs and knocked her off the chair. Nine persons (all from the Darbar community) then came and attacked her with sticks, pipes and a bladed agricultural implement,” reads the FIR.
“When her son Jigar and husband Ganpat rushed to the spot to rescue her, they were also attacked by Vadher and 10 other accused persons.”
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The accused were identified as Kanu Chavda, Gambhu Vegad, Sanjay Vegad, Bharat Vegad, Lalu Vegad, Prabhat Vegad, Ghanshyam Vegad, Mahendra Vegad, Ranu Chavda, Jayraj Vegad and the son of Babu Nathubhai whose name is not known.
Maulik tol TOI, “The Darbars were trying to harass Dalits after I lodged a complaint against members of their community members who had objected to my using ‘Sinh’ with my name. The woman who was beaten brutally is my aunt and is being treated at a private hospital for severe injuries to her head.”
A senior police officer confirmed the incident and said cross complaints has been filed. Members of the Darbar community were booked under for assault, criminal intimidation and under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
