In Gujrat’s Kutch district a Dalit family was allegedly beaten up for attending a Garba event by the members belonging to the upper caste. The assault has intensified concerns about rising violence against marginalised communities due to their religious and caste identity. Reports indicate that the family members were also subjected to casteist slurs and abuse due to their Dalit identity.
The victim while speaking to the media identified the accused as Vishalbhai Goswami, Manishbhai Goswami, Ajju Bhai Jadeja, and Ratan Singh, who allegedly assaulted her family members. In a statement to the media, she narrated how the accused attacked her father, uncle, brother, and on her.
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However, while reacting to the discrimination and violence faced by the Dalit family in Gujarat’s Kutch district, who were assaulted by accused belonging to the upper caste for attending a Garba program, Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani condemned the incident and posted on social media platform X that “The country became independent but our society is still in the grip of untouchability. In Gujarat’s Kutch district, a Dalit family was beaten by upper caste people because they had gone there for the Garba programme.”
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देश तो आज़ाद हुआ लेकिन हमारा समाज अभी भी छुआछूत की चपेट में है।
गुजरात के कच्छ जिले में एक दलित परिवार को कही जाने वाली ऊंची जाति के लोगों ने इस लिए पीट दिया क्यूं की वह गरबा कार्यक्रम के लिए वहा गए थे। pic.twitter.com/HijofDoXtp
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) October 9, 2024
The assault on the Dalit family in Gujarat’s Kutch highlights the alarming rise in violence against marginalized communities, driven by deep-rooted caste system and religious discrimination. This incident, along with the targeting of Muslim youth in UP and MP for participating in cultural events, underscores a broader societal issue that urgently requires action from the BJP-led government in all three states where atrocities with Dalits and Muslims have reached on peak.
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