Amreli, Gujarat – May 25, 2025
A 20-year-old Dalit man, Nilesh Rathod, from Jarakhia village in Lathi tehsil of Gujarat’s Amreli district, succumbed to injuries sustained during a brutal assault on May 16. The attack was allegedly triggered when Rathod addressed a shopkeeper’s teenage son as “beta” (a Hindi term meaning “son”) while purchasing snacks.
According to the FIR filed by Lalji Mansukh Chauhan, who was also assaulted, Rathod was attacked by shopkeeper Chotha Khoda Bharwad and another individual, Vijay Anand Tota. Subsequently, Rathod’s uncle, Suresh Vala, confronted the shopkeeper but was met with a group of men wielding sticks and sickles, who assaulted them while hurling casteist slurs.
Police have arrested nine individuals in connection with the case, including Bharwad and Tota. The accused face charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Gujarat Police Act.
Following Rathod’s death, Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani joined the victim’s family in protest, demanding justice and government support for the affected families.
