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Gujarat News: The Gujarat Police have reportedly booked four women in the Mahisagar district for allegedly assaulting a Dalit woman at a garba event. According to the First Information Report (FIR) lodged at Virpur police station, Rinku Vankar, the complainant, was publicly humiliated when she decided to join the event with her friends. The 25-year-old fourth-year engineering student in a government college in Gandhinagar stated that all four accused—Loma Patel, Roshni Patel, Vrushti Patel, and Meena Patel—insulted her for attending the event.

While providing details, the complainant told police that the accused threatened and used casteist slurs against her. “They used casteist slurs, saying, ‘These people are not equal to us and cannot play garba with us,’" Vankar stated in the FIR, reported The Indian Express. She further stated that the accused assaulted her physically when she tried to deescalate the situation by complaining the organiser. The victim was also stopped from filming the incident and was threatened to face "serious consequences" if she tried to come back to the event.

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Upon receiving the complaint, the local police registered cases against the accused under various relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including Section 54 (crime in presence of abettor), Section 351(1) (criminal intimidation), Section 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Mahisagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Safin Hasan, while providing details, stated that the case is being investigated by the Deputy Superintendent of the SC/ST Cell, reported the Indian Express. Hasan stated that the accused have been served the notices as per the process, adding that their statement is also being recorded.

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“A Supreme Court precedent and guidelines prohibit the arrest of the accused in cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, where the punishment is less than seven years. The investigation is on. We have issued notices to the accused as per the process for preventive action. Their statements are being recorded," Hasan was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.