Eerie quiet in North Gujarat village where Dalit groom was stopped from riding horse

The Dalit meet in Lhor village

By Rajiv Shah
As one reaches Lhor, one can sense an atmosphere of unease gripping one of the five villages where Dalit wedding processions was recently blocked by non-Dalits in this small medium-sized North Gujarat village, barely 30 kilometres off the seat of the state's political power centre, Gandhinagar. Despite punitive steps, the village remains as divided on caste lines, just it was before the incident which shot into prominence after May 6, when the bridegroom Mehul was not allowed to ride a horse in a wedding procession on the main village street.
Educated up to class 10th, the boy works in a high-profile Ahmedabad hospital, CIMS, as a helper. His father, Manubhai, told Counterview, “A social boycott call against Dalits was given from the village temple mike soon after the wedding procession. The open boycott continued for two days, and we were not allowed to buy goods from dominant caste people. The announcement for the social boycott was made on a temple mike.”
However, the Dalits of Lhor and neighbouring villages protested, and support came in from Dalit rights organizations like Navsarjan. On May 7 and 8, about 500 to 600 Dalits from neighbouring villages, including politicians such as deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, who belongs to the area, and his main Congress rival, Baldevji Thakore, visited the village to “support” the Dalits. The village sarpanch and the deputy sarpanch were arrested, and the open boycott stopped.
“Now at least we can buy goods at the local village without any problem”, said Manubhai. However, he indicated, an eerie quiet still prevails. Following the incident, there is still “no social interaction between Dalits and non-Dalits. None of them have visited our falia (locality).” Suggesting that there is no remorse for what the non-Dalits did, he added, “None of them have approached and told us that they are sorry for the incident.”

Martin Macwan addressing Dalit meet

This is echoed by other Dalit villagers, described as the type of untouchability prevailing in the vilage. One of them told said, “There is a barber’s shop in the village. We have to go Kadi if we have to get our hair cut. Dalits are not allowed to get their hair dressing done here. Nor are we allowed to enter into the two village temples. If we all try, we would be thrown out.”
With a population of 1,500, Lhor is in Mehsana district, situated between Kadi town and Thol bird sanctuary. Dominated by the other backward class (OBC) Thakore community, the other important communities in the village are of Brahmins and Muslims. Dalits form about 10% of the village population. Their houses are situated mainly at the other end of the village.
While the Thakores, to which community the sarpanch and the deputy sarpanch belong, took the lead in stopping the Dalit wedding procession, Brahmins and Muslims blacked them. Belonging to the Congress, both the elected office bearers of the village panchayat are finally out on bail after remaining behind the bars for a fortnight, and the court says, they are not allowed to enter into the village or even the village periphery.
“Police official Manjita Vanzara has done exemplary work by ensuring that these two persons do not disturb the village peace again”, said Navsarjan founder Marin Macwan, addressing a well-attended meeting called in Lhor to protest against the incident, which he termed as an example of untouchability prevailing in rural Gujarat.
Called besna or funeral ceremony of untouchability, the Dalit meet was attended by representatives from several Gujarat districts, including Banaskantha, Patan, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, and Kheda. Held on an open plot belonging to a relatively well-off Dalit, who is also the owner of several buffaloes, the meeting ended with the announcement that similar “besnas” of untouchability would be held over the next 75 days in as many villages as possible.
“Seventy five days later, on August 15, the Independence Day, we would want Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani to announce Gujarat as untouchability free”, Macwan said, regretting, “Two years ago, we took out 60-km-long a rally from the Dalit Shakti Dendra in Sanand district to Gandhinagar, and sent across to him a one-line demand: To declare at least one village untouchability free. He has not replied so far.”
The meeting took place amidst heavy police presence. At least a dozen police vans and as many jeeps could be seen posted on narrow village streets. Every village corner, including the two temples, was guarded by a group of cops. State Reserve Police jawans with rifles in hand could be seen standing in ready condition at least at three different spots. None of the non-Dalits were seen roaming about on the village streets.

Comments

Madhu Menon said…

Gujarat villages practice untouchability is an open secret, people who highlight the development of the state by showing the good roads and canals filled water deliberately close their eyes towardsthe real developmental issues like atrocities committed against Dalits and lower caste communities, the condition of government schools and the growing practice of female foeticide. A long way to go to achieve the real goals of development

May 25, 2019

Uma said…

Yet the Dalit's voted for Modi.

May 25, 2019

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Search This Blog