‘Why would he visit at night?’: Dalit man wanting to go to temple assaulted in Gujarat; FIR filed under SC/ST Act
TNN | Oct 4, 2025, 08.51 AM IST
AHMEDABAD: A Dalit labourer was allegedly assaulted and threatened in Himatnagar after he expressed a wish to visit a temple and showed his Aadhaar card for identification.
The accused reportedly subjected him to casteist slurs before attacking him and warning him against entering the area again, according to a complaint filed with Himatnagar rural police on Thursday.
The FIR filed by Shailesh Solanki (38), a daily-wage worker from Khedawada Lakshmipura village, was on his way to the Kal Bhairav temple on the evening of Sep 26.
While waiting for transport near a crossroads in Balochpur, he was confronted by the accused, Bharat Patel from Dhanpura, who was on a scooter. Patel accused him of loitering suspiciously and asked his identity. Solanki said he was headed to the temple, but the man did not believe him.
When Solanki gave his name, the accused allegedly asked if he belonged to the general category was from a scheduled caste. On producing his Aadhaar card, Patel saw his surname, questioned him again and on learning that he was a Dalit, began abusing him and made casteist remarks.
“He asked me why I, being a Dalit, had come to visit a temple after dark. He then slapped me several times while hurling caste-based abuse,” Solanki stated in his complaint.
Shortly after, two men on a motorcycle — Narendrasinh Parmar and Jagatsinh Parmar from Titpur village — arrived and intervened, stopping the assault. Patel, however, allegedly forced Solanki onto his scooter, drove him some distance away, dropped him off near Ghorwada, and threatened him with dire consequences if he returned.
Solanki said he confided in his family and later met Narendrasinh and Jagatsinh, who offered to stand as witnesses. Based on his application, Himatnagar rural police registered an FIR under the sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to assault and intimidation, and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
