Gujarat: Dalits invited to the Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony were told to bring plates and glasses from home!
The community refused to accept this condition, and an FIR was filed at the Visavadar police station.
A case of alleged discrimination and disrespectful treatment of members of the Dalit community has come to light during the Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav of the Lord Ram Temple in Bhootdi village, Visavadar taluka, Junagadh district.
The organizing committee had invited approximately ten people to the event, but they were asked to arrive after others had finished eating, eat their food separately, and not enter the temple. They were also asked to bring their own plates, bowls, and drinking water from home. Members of the Dalit community allege that separate arrangements for food and water were made for them, which clearly amounted to untouchability and caste-based insults, and therefore, the offended individuals decided not to attend the event.
25-year-old Ajay Chatur Boricha filed a complaint with the Visavadar police station. According to the complaint, around 5 pm on April 27th, five members of the organizing committee came to his neighborhood and invited about 10 Scheduled Caste members present there for the temple’s consecration ceremony. They also imposed the condition that they arrive after other caste members had eaten and that they bring their own plates and bowls. The Dalit community refused to accept this condition. Consequently, the proposed community feast in the village was canceled. However, the temple’s consecration ceremony was completed on the evening of April 29th. Based on this complaint, the police have registered a case against five individuals: Babu Uka Hapani, Narendra Bhanji Siroya, Ramnik Samji Sorathia, Atul Bhikha Siroya, and Phoola Popat Siroya under sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(za)A, 3(1)(za)C of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as well as sections 196(2) and 54 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
An investigation has been initiated following the FIR lodged at the Visavadar police station. The investigation has been assigned to Raviraj Singh Parmar, DSP of the Junagadh SC/ST Cell. The police have conducted a panchnama of the scene of the incident, recorded witness statements, and issued notices to the accused.
The victim Dalit families have demanded a fair investigation and justice. The case is currently under investigation, and further action will be taken based on the investigation report.
Casteism Incidents in Gujarat
In the past few months, numerous incidents of caste-based discrimination, untouchability, and violence against the Dalit community have been reported in Gujarat. These include restrictions on temple entry, social boycotts, attacks on wedding horse riders, and untouchability in everyday life.
Recently, a sensational and heartbreaking incident emerged from Amreli district in which Mahesh Premji Rathod, a 24-year-old man who had come to Shantaba General Hospital for his elderly uncle’s treatment, was beaten to death with plastic pipes for throwing leftover food into a free dining hall on the hospital premises.
In March of this year, the Dalit deputy sarpanch of a village in Sabarkantha district filed a serious police complaint against eight people. The dispute is said to be rooted in the village panchayat’s decision to remove an old and dilapidated bird feeder tower (platform). It is alleged that during a meeting convened on this issue, these people threatened the deputy sarpanch and used caste-related slurs against him.
Similarly, in February, in Chandrumana village, Patan, when a Dalit groom rode a horse, people with a casteist mindset allegedly resorted to hooliganism, armed with swords. They not only threatened the groom but also assaulted members of the wedding procession.
In January of this year, a case of caste-based violence was reported against Tulsi Solanki, a 26-year-old Dalit laborer, in Piprala village, Santalpur tehsil, Patan district. Three men attacked Solanki with sticks, fists, and kicks, hurling casteist slurs, and threatening to kill him after he refused to lend them his glasses.
In 2025, a case was filed against four women for verbally and physically abusing a Dalit woman during a Garba event in a village in Mahisagar district. The victim filed an FIR at the Virpur police station, alleging that she was subjected to caste-based abuse and physical assault after attempting to participate in a traditional dance festival with a friend.
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Courtesy: Hindi News
