india

Updated: May 12, 2019 22:11 IST

Tension gripped two northern Gujarat villages on Sunday when Dalits faced protests from upper caste villagers over the use of a horse by a bridegroom in the wedding procession and, in another incident, when a Dalit groom sought entry to a temple with his relatives.

In Khambhisar village of Aravalli district, Jayesh Chavda, the bridegroom, was forced to wait for more than four hours on the streets for his wedding procession to move. The procession began only after the police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesting mobs.

“Police personnel in large numbers were deployed in the village to ensure that the wedding party continued with its planned celebration,” said Gandhinagar range IG Mayur Chavda.

Police said when the procession initially began around 5 pm, upper caste women members staged a sit-in on the procession’s route and began chanting the Ramdhun. In retaliation, the Dalit women went past the protesting group and began performing garba, the police said.

Soon, according to the police, the tension escalated between the two communities and they began pelting stones at each other. The orchestra party’s vehicle was also damaged in the stone pelting.

“We couldn’t take out the procession. A couple of family members, including the groom, have received minor injuries. We will file a police complaint,” Jayesh’s father Dayabhai said.

Another family member said that now the wedding is likely to place on Monday. Police said they have ensured full protection to the Dalit family to take out the wedding procession on Monday.

A deputy superintendent of police was among the few people who suffered injuries in the skirmish. Some police vehicles were also damaged in the stone-pelting.

In another incident, a groom in Sitwada village of Sabarkantha district sought police protection after some members of the upper caste allegedly tried to stop him and his relatives from entering a local temple.

On April 10, Sitwada village had witnessed tension after upper caste members raised objections to a Dalit groom riding a horse. The procession was later taken out under police protection.

On April 7, a similar incident was reported in Lhor village in Mehsana district. Five persons, including sarpanch Viruji Thakor, were arrested for issuing a diktat to boycott the Scheduled Caste community in the village.

On April 9, Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel had held peace meetings with the village community leaders in Lhor village and Kadi town in Mehsana district.