Vadodara rural police detained three people for allegedly beating up a Dalit youth and using casteist slurs against him in Gavasad village of Padra taluka in Gujarat.

The victim, 18-year-old Chiragkumar Rohit was practising for entrance examinations of the armed forces when the attack took place. In his complaint, Rohit accused the three of meting out casteist slurs at him and ridiculed him for aspiring to join the Indian Army.

Rohit is an undergraduate student at the MS University of Baroda and was undergoing physical training to join the Army.

On Wednesday evening, June 17, Rohit was jogging on the ground near his village where the son of the village sarpanch, along with other youths from the Patel community, were playing cricket. One of them allegedly directed a casteist slur at him, and the others joined in.

Rohit returned home and informed his brother about the incident, who then went to the ground to confront the group. When he reached, only three of all the youths named in the FIR were still present there.

The complaint stated that the youths again directed casteist slurs at him, and also thrashed the brothers, before fleeing the spot.

We have detained the accused and have sent them for Covid-19 testing. There has been no such issue in the past between the two communities in the village. As per our preliminary investigations, the youths from the village have never clashed and none of them involved in the matter have had any old rivalry or fight. The village has a mixed population,’ The Indian Express quoted Deepak Gor, Deputy Superintendent of Police, SC/ST cell, Vadodara rural, as saying.

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