Gujarat: Patidar blocks Dalit man’s wedding procession, performs Yagnas on road; several injured in clash

Members of Patidar community allegedly stopped a wedding procession of a Dalit man on Sunday in Gujarat’s Aravali district. The upper community also performed yaganas on road to block the wedding. However, this led to clashes between the two group and the started throwing stones at each other. Police were informed about the incident and they had to resort to a baton charge.

The incident occurred in the evening in Khambiasr village and officials said a posse of cops had been rushed to the spot to maintain peace, PTI reported. Several people and policemen were injured in the stone pelting.

According to reports, the wedding procession was held up for over five hours and they could not proceed to the marriage venue due to the clash. The family members of the groom blamed the police for the situation.

"We got no police protection and were forced to come back. The members of the Patidar community had blocked both the roads, making it impossible for us to move. We hope police give us protection on Monday so that the wedding ceremony passes off peacefully," the family member said.

Gandhinagar Range Inspector General of Police Mayank Chavda said members of both the communities had been called to sort out matters and bring about peace in the area.

"Police have been deployed in large numbers. The situation is peaceful. The groom's family has been provided protection and we will give them cover on Monday as well," Chavda said.