Gujarat: Businesswoman Booked For Making Dalit Man Put Her Footwear In His Mouth

A woman made a Dalit employee of hers apologise by taking her footwear in his mouth, when he asked for his salary.

Image used for representational purposes only.

(Photo: iStock / Altered by Aroop Mishra / The Quint)

A case has been registered against a businesswoman in Gujarat’s Morbi, and at least six others, for forcing a Dalit man to apologise to her by holding her footwear in his mouth. The 21-year-old Dalit man, Nilesh Dalsaniya, worked in the woman's company for a fortnight and was allegedly assaulted on Thursday, 23 November for asking for his salary.

The woman has been identified Vibhuti Patel in the FIR, who runs a private firm called Raniba Industries Private Limited.

According to the FIR, Dalsaniya, his elder brother Mehul and their neighbour Bhavesh Makwana went to the office of Raniba Industries Pvt Ltd (RIPL) at around 7 pm on Thursday to ask for the salary.

However, Nilesh was then allegedly assaulted by Om Patel, Vibhuti’s brother, and Parixit Patel, a manager at the office. Vibhuti Patel also slapped and dragged him to the terrace of the commercial complex, the FIR said, according to news agency Press Trust of India.

“Vibhuti Patel forced me to take her chappal in my mouth and made me apologise… She warned me that I shall be killed if I ventured on Ravapar Road or if I dared to file a complaint,” the FIR quoted Dalsaniya as having stated in his complaint, according to The Indian Express.

According to the FIR, Dalsaniya had joined the company on 2 October and was promised a monthly salary of Rs 12,000. However, on 18 October, he was told that his services were no longer required. In a video, the accused are seen forcing Dalsaniya to apologise to the woman employer for seeking his salary.

After returning home, Dalsaniya was taken to Morbi civil hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment, the police said.

Vibhuti Patel and the other accused have been booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as well as various sections of the IPC including 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offence committed in prosecution of common object).

No arrest has been made yet, as per PTI.