In Khambisar village in Gujarat’s Aravalli district, members of the Patidar community organised bhajan and yagna on the main road to stall a Dalit wedding procession. Another Dalit bridegroom had to be provided police cover after members of the Thakor community objected to him offering prayers at a local temple.
Ahmedabad: In Khambisar village in Gujarat’s Aravalli district, members of the Patidar community organised bhajan and yagna on the main road to stall a Dalit wedding procession, the groom’s family alleged.
The procession was delayed despite police presence as the Patidar community members refused to leave and it was reported that the two sides threw stones at each other.
“The incident occurred in the evening in Khambiasr village and officials said a posse of cops had been rushed to the spot to maintain peace. Several people and policemen were injured in the stone throwing. The wedding procession, which was held up for over five hours, could not proceed to the marriage venue due to the ruckus and family members of the groom blamed the police for the situation,” NDTV reported.
“Police have been deployed in large numbers. The situation is peaceful. The groom’s family has been provided protection and we will give them cover on Monday as well,” Gandhinagar Range Inspector General of Police Mayank Chavda said in the report.
The police official said members of both the communities had been called to sort out matters and bring about peace in the area.
One of the family members of the groom, however, alleged that they had sought protection, but the police failed in getting the procession to move forward.
“We got no police protection and were forced to come back. The members of Patidar community had blocked both the roads, making it impossible for us to move. We hope police give us protection on Monday so that the wedding ceremony passes off peacefully,” the family member said in the report.
Another wedding procession of a Dalit bridegroom had to be provided police cover on Sunday after members of the Thakor community objected to him offering prayers at a local temple at a village in the Sabarkantha district of Gujarat.
The procession, however, passed off peacefully, police said.
Anil Rathod’s family had sought police protection after elders of Sitvada village, belonging to the Thakor community, had objected on Saturday to the procession passing through the village and his plans to offer prayers at the temple, Bhikhabhai Vaniya, a villager said in a report.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Meenakshi Patel, “The family of the Anil Rathod submitted an application to the police seeking protection for the wedding procession. In their application, the Dalit members of the village had raised apprehension that members of another community might create trouble”.
“We offered police protection to the marriage procession and it passed off peacefully. The groom also visited the village temple before he left for a nearby village for the marriage ceremony,” the DSP said.