Gujarat minister on garba flogging: ‘Humanity only for stone-pelters?’
Gujarat minister Harsh Sanghavi has asked whether “humanity exists only for stone-pelters and not for those hit by stones.” He was referring to an incident in which some policemen allegedly flogged some Muslim men accused of pelting stones at garba dancers in Kheda district. The accused cops are now facing a probe.
The police on Friday picked up five more suspects in the stone-pelting incident, taking the number of arrests to 18 so far. The case is now being investigated from the angle of criminal conspiracy, too, said a police official.
The incident
The stone-pelting incident took place on Monday night. Seven persons, including a policeman, were reportedly injured after a mob comprising Muslim men allegedly hurled stones at a garba event organised as part of the Navratri celebrations at Undhela. The attackers apparently objected to the dance being organised near a mosque.
The next day, videos surfaced, purportedly showing policemen pinning three of the accused to an electric pole and flogging them with a baton as people watched. Gujarat DGP Ashish Bhatia then ordered a probe into the flogging.
Minister’s argument
Sanghavi was speaking at an event in Ahmedabad on Friday, when he said, “I do not understand whether humanity is only for those pelting stones. Aren’t there any human rights for those children and women who were hit by stones on their heads? Shouldn’t they have human rights?”
The minister of state for Home also asked the crowd if people should not perform garba in public places. “Do those pelting stones have a religion? Shouldn’t there be human rights for those hit by stones? Then, why every time the issue of human rights is raised in favour of those hurling stones? This is a point to be considered,” he said.
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“Criminal conspiracy”
Dhruvraj Chudasama, inspector of the Special Operations Group (SOG) investigating the case, said the police are now investigating the case from the angle of criminal conspiracy by the minority community members.
“Forty-three accused have been identified in the FIR. Of them, 18 have been arrested so far, as we have held five more accused in the case,” said Chudasama.
“We have added 120 (B) of IPC in the FIR. The accused persons had conspired to ensure that the garba event was not held at that place in the village. The accused had pre-planned this,” he added.
A local court on Saturday remanded the five suspects arrested on Friday in judicial custody.
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Counter-argument
A group of Muslim lawyers on Friday submitted a memorandum to the SP, Kheda district, seeking impartial investigation into the entire incident. They alleged conspiracy by the sarpanch of Undhela village. According to them, he deliberately instigated members of the Muslim community by organising garba near a mosque.
According to the memorandum, the FIR has named “innocent” people as accused. The lawyers, under the banner of All India Lawyers’ Council, alleged that the local crime branch officials had flogged the Muslim youths under pressure from local political leaders and the sarpanch. Videos of the incident were shared on social media as part of the conspiracy, they further alleged in the memorandum.
(With agency inputs)