Gujarat: Two Scheduled Caste women stopped from playing garba; FIR against 4

Two women belonging to a Scheduled Caste community were allegedly stopped from playing Garba dance during the ongoing Navratri festival at a village in Vadodara district of Gujarat, following which an FIR was registered against three men and a woman, police said on Monday.

Upon learning about the incident, which occurred on Sunday night, Gujarat Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Pradip Parmar ordered a probe and told Vadodara district Superintendent of Police and Collector to visit the spot.

The alleged incident occurred at Pilol village under the Savli police station in the Vadodara district when a woman and her niece, both belonging to an SC community, went to play Garba dance at a pandal.

"As per the FIR lodged on Monday, an upper-caste woman stopped the two Dalit women from playing Garba and asked them to leave the venue. The accused woman also insulted the two women by uttering casteist slurs," said Deputy SP, SK Vala, quoting the FIR.

When the husband of the victim woman reached the spot after learning about the incident, the accused woman along with one Chhatrasinh Parmar and two other men used derogatory language and casteist slurs against him and forced him to leave, said the officer.

"An FIR was registered against three men and a woman under various sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act at the Savli police station on Monday. Police personnel are deployed in Pilol village to maintain law and order," said Vala.

He said police are yet to make an arrest.