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Ahmedabad: A group of upper-caste men allegedly attacked and abused a Dalit groom using casteist slurs over him riding a horse during his wedding procession in Madi village of Gujarat’s Mehsana district.

The incident, which occurred on May 10 near the village dairy, marks another instance of resistance to Dalit inclusion and equality in society. Although riding a horse during a wedding procession is customary in most Indian weddings, Dalit grooms are repeatedly targeted for taking part in the tradition.

Complaint filed

The groom, Mayank Rawat’s brother, Bhavik Rawat, lodged a complaint alleging that Tuvrajsinh Chauhan and Nikulsinh Chauhan of the Darbar community attacked them. The accused allegedly mauled and abused the groom using casteist slurs, and reportedly told him that mounting a horse for processions is the right of a Darbar alone.

Panic ensued when the accused threatened the family from continuing the baraat, effectively halting the relatives from proceeding to Ahmedabad for the wedding ceremony.

A first information report (FIR) was registered by the Ladol police against the accused Tuvrajsinh and Nikulsinh under relevant sections of the  Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act.

According to local activist Kaushik, the attack proves that Dalits continue to face discrimination despite constitutional protections.

On April 29, a Dalit bride’s wedding procession in Rajasthan’s Udaipur was targeted as the attackers forced her off the horse while hurling abuses at her family.

Days before the previous incident, a physically handicapped Dalit groom in Madhya Pradesh’s capital was similarly dragged off a horse and assaulted during his baraat.