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Dalits from Deesa to rally for justice today

Police beat them when they protested a Dalit’s murder.

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Nearly 27 Dalit families of Ghada village in Deesa taluka of Banaskantha district are living as refugees in the compound of Mamlatdar's office at Deesa since August 10, 2009.
All the families were made to evacuate their village after they demanded justice in the case of murder of a Dalit youth Ramesh Parmar who was allegedly murder on July 30, 2009. Parmar used to encourage people in his community and urged them not to bow down to people from upper castes, mainly the Thakor community which is one of the dominating communities in Banaskantha.

A delegation of representatives and refugees with support of several Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) working for human rights have organised a rally on September 5 from Usmanpura to RTO, Subhash Bridge.

Mohan Devipujak, who is an eye witness to Parmar's murder said, "I saw a tractor mow down Parmar and crush him to death. He was not in the way of the vehicle and was walking 10-15 meters away from the main road. Bhopalsinh Vaghela who was driving the tractor reversed and ran the vehicle over him once again and then fled.

When we went for filing a complaint, the family members of accused threatened me and said they would burn my house and family members alive, if I would not change my statement."

Devjibhai Parmar, father of victim Ramesh Parmar said, "We face oppression by the Thakors. Our children are not allowed to wear good clothes. We are forced to put turbans in order to honour the upper caste members. My son did not bow down to them and so they killed him in this brutal way."

Kaliben Parmar, a resident of Ghada village said, "We are forced to do unpaid labour and are made to cut firewood used for marriages in the Thakor community. We are always at the receiving end and have to listen to all their abuses." Moreover, it is also alleged that when the Dalits approached the police to lodge an FIR for the murder, they registered the case under 'accidental death' category. 

However, the district superintendent of police, Banaskantha, HK Patel told DNA "The police have registered the case of accidental death and are investigating the details of the case, if it is found that it was a murder the section of murders will be added to it."

Varsha Ganguly, director of Behavioral Science Centre (BSC) said, "While we organised a rally in Deesa, demanding justice in the murder case and have asked the government to declare them as refugees, because they cannot go back to their village back. Police lathi charged the dalits and put pregnant women, children and men in the jail. The government machinery in Deesa was so cruel that all the doctors of government hospital, local lawyers and other people were instructed not to help them. We are organising a rally on September 5 in Ahmedabad to protest against it."

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