Dwarka police on Thursday arrested two persons, including prime accused Vadhsinh Goriya and Mashripitha Ghadev, for allegedly attacking and injuring Dalits over a land ownership dispute in Kalyanpur taluka’s Mevasa village at Devbhumi Dwarka.
“We have identified 12 accused from the upper castes that were involved in the attack on Dalits. So far, we have arrested two of them, while a manhunt has been launched to apprehend the remaining ten accused,” district superintendent of police (DSP) RJ Parghi told DNA.
As many as four Dalits had sustained injuries when a group of upper caste people allegedly attacked them with country-made guns on Tuesday. The four injured were identified as Kiran Rathod (21), Dudadha Rathod (23), Rahul Rathod (18), and Raju Rathod (35).
The Rathods and Ahirs have allegedly been at loggerheads over the ownership of a piece of land for quite some time and altercations over the issue have also occurred earlier. On Tuesday, a group of Ahirs attacked the Dalits with edged weapons and sticks before openly firing nearly a dozen rounds on them, while the latter were working in a farm and fled.
Fortunately, the victims did sustain bullet injuries, but were not fatally wounded. They were first rushed to Khambhalia’s Civil Hospital, and were later shifted to Jamnagar’s GG Hospital for treatment. An FIR was lodged by the victims for attempt to murder under the Arms Act and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The disputed land, originally belonging to the Dalits, was sold some 25 years ago to the Ahirs. The latter are also in possession of all legal documents to prove ownership of the land. However, the present generation of these Dalits continued claiming the land as their own and moved the court stating that the land is their only source of breadwinning. The Ahirs had earlier allegedly beaten them up, while warning them of dire consequences if they did not vacate the land and withdrew the petition filed in court.
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