A 45-year-old Dalit woman, who was reportedly thrashed by two persons, died on November 27 in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district.
Geetaben Maru was allegedly assaulted with steel pipes by two persons, who were facing an atrocity case filed by Geetaben’s son against them. She succumbed to her injuries on Monday, said Deputy Superintendent of Police R.R. Singhal.
According to Mr. Singhal, the accused duo had asked Ms. Maru to convince her son to withdraw the case registered against them under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and arrive at a compromise but she declined their offer.
After she was brutally assaulted, she was taken to hospital where the police recorded her statement and an FIR was lodged based on her testimony.
“We had taken down Ms. Maru’s complaint on Sunday night before she breathed her last and lodged an FIR against Shailesh Koli, his friend Rohal Koli, and their two unidentified aides for the attack. We have formed three teams to nab them,” Mr. Singhal told reporters.
The police have registered a case under the charges of murder, assault and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code and relevant Sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
The shocking murder of the Dalit woman came barely a few days after a Dalit boy was allegedly assaulted when he asked for his salary in Morbi. As per the details, Nilesh Dalsaniya, 21, had filed a complaint, based on which the Morbi city police on November 23 registered an FIR against a businesswoman, identified as Vibhuti Patel aka Raniba, and others, including her brother Om Patel and manager Parikshit. On Monday night, she and two others were arrested by the Morbi police.
