Gujarat Dalit youth killed for harassing woman, not for riding horse: Cops

Pradeep’s father, however, said he did not believe the police theory and alleged that the upper-caste men had made the share-cropper a scapegoat.

Pradeep, a resident of Timbi village in Bhavnagar district, was found dead near his village on the night of March 29. In his complaint, his father Kalu stated that Natubha Darbar, who belongs to upper-caste Kshatriya community, had warned his son against owning or riding a horse as it was a “privilege” of upper-castes only.

On Sunday, Bhavnagar SP Pravin Mal told The Indian Express that Pradeep had been harassing Thaleisha’s wife. “The woman complained to her husband and suggested that they approach police. However, he turned down the suggestion, telling her that they were poor and should rather focus on earning a livelihood.”

According to Mal, on March 29, Thaleisha was cutting boughs of a babool tree with a dhariyu (scythe) when he noticed Pradeep approaching his field on a horse. “Thaleisha stopped Pradeep and asked him why he was harassing his wife. Pradeep told him that he was going to his field and dared the share-cropper to stop him. An argument ensued and Pradeep hit Thaleisha with a stick with which he used to control his horse. Thereafter, Thaleisha hit Pradeep with the dhariyu, killing the Dalit youth on the spot,” Mal added.

The SP said Thaleisha, who lived in a cottage on an agricultural field 500 m from the crime scene, fled with his family to their native village Padana. “Police did not merely rely on Thalaiya’s confession, but the location of his mobile phone also confirmed his presence at the scene of the crime at the time of the murder,” said the SP.

Police had earlier booked Darbar, a resident of Timbi village, Ghoghubha Gohil and his brother Jitubha Gohil — both residents of neighbouring Piparali village — and four others for Pradeep’s murder following a complaint from his father. But no one was arrested. “We did not have any evidence against them. Our investigation establishes that Pradeep was not killed for owning a horse or riding it. He was murdered for harassing a married woman,” the SP said.

Responding to the police claim, Pradeep’s father Kalu said, “I don’t believe the police theory of my son harassing the share-cropper’s wife and that it led to his murder. We don’t know the sharecropper and his family, so how does the question of harassing her arise? Apparently, this is a conspiracy by the upper-caste men, who are real killers of my son. They have made the share-cropper a scapegoat since he is poor.”