Dalit brothers killed over land dispute in Gujarat; 6 Kshatriya men booked

According to the police, a group of people from non-Dalit community attacked brothers Aaljibhai Parmar and Manubhai Parmar with sharp-edged weapons.

By: Express News Service

Ahmedabad | Updated: July 13, 2023 02:46 PM IST

4 min read

The Parmar brothers were in their 50s and belonged to Samadhiyala village of Chuda tehsil of Surendra nagar district. (Representational image)

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Six men belonging to the Kshatriya community and a mob of around 15 persons were booked on Thursday after they allegedly maimed and murdered two Dalit brothers and injured four others, including three women on Wednesday evening following a dispute over a piece of land in Samadhiyala village of Chuda taluka in Surendranagar district.

Based on a complaint filed by Parul Khodabhai Parmar (60), an FIR was registered at Chuda police station in Surendranagar district on Thursday. In her complaint, Parul named Amra Khachar, Amra’s brother Nagbhai, Amra’s sons Jilu alias Ghugha and Manglu, Bhikhu Khacahar, one Bhanbhai of Samadhiyala village and a mob of 12 to 15 persons as accused. Based on Parul’s complaint, Chuda police booked the six and the mob under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 306 (dacoity with murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means or weapons), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 335 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt on provocation), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs50), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace). Police also booked the accused under IPC Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting by persons armed with deadly weapons), 149 (every member of an unlawful assembly to be treated as guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object). The accused have also been booked under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for subjecting members of the Scheduled Caste to atrocities.

“We have registered an FIR in connection with the double murders. Accused are on the run presently but efforts are being made to name them,” Haresh Dudhat, superintendent of police of Surendranagar told The Indian Express, adding, post mortem of the two Dalit brothers, identified as Aaljibhai Parmar (60) and Manoj (54), who were murdered on Wednesday evening was being done at a government hospital in Surendranagar town.

The FIR came hours after the accused assaulted four members of a Dalit family and a tractor driver, also a Dalit, hired by them in Samadhiyala village of Chuda taluka in Surendranagar district at around 4 PM on Wednesday. According to the FIR, Premji Parmar, a native of Samadhiyala village in Chuda owned land in that village. However, his four sons—Khodabhai, Aaljibhai, Amrutbhai and Manoj—moved out of the village around forty years ago and settled in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar cities.

In her complaint, 60-year-old Parul, widow of Aalji’s elder brother Khodabhai, stated that the accused, who are Kathi Darbars, had been trying to usurp the Parmar family’s land for a long time and had been issuing threats to the Dalit family, leading to legal proceedings. However, Kathi Darbars, who are Kashtriyas but recognised Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in Gujarat, assaulted Parul, Aalji, Aalji’s wife Shanta, Manoj and Manoj’s wife Nandini on Wednesday evening on the victim’s land.

Kathi Darbars sit much higher in social hierarchy in Gujarat as compared to Dalits.

According to Parul’s complaint, the five family members and Dalpat Parmar, a tractor driver from Tuva village, whom the family had hired for tilling operations, were trying to leave their farm and return to Ahmedabad after tilling it between 10 AM to 4 PM on Thursday when the accused came rushing, and asked the Dalits to leave, claiming the land belonged to them. The accused first vandalised the Dalit family’s car and started beating the Dalits indiscriminately with sticks and scythes. The FIR states that Aaljibhai and Manoj were carrying Rs1 lakh cash each as they wanted to erect a barbe wire fence round their farm but the accused robbed the cash. The assailants also vandalised CCTV cameras installed on the farm, snatched away victims’ phones and threw chilli powder in Nandini’s eyes.

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According to the FIR, Dalpat somehow managed to dial emergency services and called three ambulances to Samadhiyala even as Nandini managed to dial 100 and sought police help.

The injured were rushed to a hospital in Surendranagar town where Aaljibhai and Manoj succumbed to their injuries, police said.

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