Dalit man beaten for posting picture wearing turban, shades

Ahmedabad: On Thursday, members of the Dalit community, wearing sunglasses and safas (turbans), gathered first outside the office of the Sabarkantha superintendent of police (SP) in Himatnagar and then at the district collectorate. They submitted a memorandum demanding a yatra (procession) for Dalits — who will all wear sunglasses and turbans — through Saybapur village.

Members of the Dalit community presented their memorandum in this attire as a mark of protest. This was in response to an alleged assault a week ago on a 24-year-old Dalit man from Saybapur by members of the upper caste Darbar community, ostensibly for posting a picture of himself wearing a safa and sunglasses on his Instagram account.

An FIR filed with Himatnagar rural police states that Ajay Parmar was driving his autorickshaw from Saybapur to Himatnagar on July 18. Near the Navanagar bus stand, two men of the Darbar community — Kirpalsinh Rathod and Manusinh Rathod — rode their motorcycle alongside the rickshaw and forced it to stop.

The complaint states that Kirpalsinh then snatched Parmar’s phone and checked it. Kirpalsinh allegedly abused Ajay with caste-based slurs and asked why he had posted the picture of him wearing a safa and sunglasses on Instagram. Kirpalsinh and Manusinh told Ajay that only Darbars can wear safas and sunglasses and that a Dalit like Ajay must never post such a photograph. They then made Ajay apologize to them.

After this Ajay phoned his cousin Bhavesh Parmar and father, Ramesh Parmar, who went to Navanagar to get him.

When the trio were returning, Kirpalsinh, Manusinh along with Hitendrasinh Rathod and Shukalsinh Rathod of Saybapur village stopped them. This time the four assaulted Ajay. When Ramesh intervened, one of them slapped him. As the victims began calling for help, other villagers came to their rescue.

Himatnagar rural police registered a case for causing hurt, criminal intimidation, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and abetment under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Kirpalsinh, Manusinh, Hitendrasinh and Shukalsinh. All four have been arrested.

Dalit activist Kalpesh Parmar submitted the memorandum to the offices of the Sabarkantha collector and SP, demanding a yatra through the village where all members of the Dalit community will wear safas and sunglasses.

Another activist, Kaushik Parmar, said, “The way a Dalit man was beaten for posting a picture wearing a safa and sunglasses shows that casteist elements from the upper-caste community feel that they can dictate terms to Dalits.”

Courtesy : TOI

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