This Dussehra, like on any of the Navratri nights that preceded it, the garba in Bhadrania village in Gujarat’s Anand district stretched into the wee hours of the morning.
However, this time the festival met a fatal end. Nineteen-year-old Jayesh Solanki was killed, allegedly by a group of eight Patidar youngsters, because he was a Dalit who wanted to watch the garba.
The Dalits are at pain to explain that the garba in their village is not a caste-exclusive event. “It was a Dalit girl who was dancing in the garba who rushed home to wake us up at around 5.30 am. All she said was that Jayesh had got in to a fight,” Jayesh’s 60-year-old father, Bhailalbhai Solanki, recalls.
His relative, Jayantibhai Solanki, is even one of the organises of the garba. “People of all castes dance together in the garba,” he says.
But, if the upper caste Hindus of the village had no problem in dancing with Dalits, why did they object to Jayesh and his cousins merely watching it from a few feet away?
Jayesh’s cousin, Prakash, who was with him when the assault took place, says, “The garba had people from all castes. The night before, we were all dancing there, including Jayesh. So, I don't know what problem they had with us that night. May be they did not like the fact that we had worn new clothes. They never like that.”
A Village Divided by Caste
The incident has etched a deep divide between the Patidars and the Dalits of the village.
“The caste tension is here to stay. People cannot forget easily. We will be reminded time and again that we lost Jayesh, and that the Patidars will never think of us as equals. They think we are under them, lesser than them.”
Thakorbhai Patel, father of prime accused Sanjay Patel, accuses the Dalits of being “greedy liars”.
There was no attack on Jayesh. There was a huge rush that night and Jayesh’s head hit against the wall. His death was an accident. But, Dalits get a lot of money after “atrocities” against them. That is why they are claiming murder – to get compensation money. They want to profit off his death.Thakorbhai Patel, father of prime accused Sanjay Patel.
Sanjay, along with the seven other accused, was arrested on 1 October. One of them is a juvenile. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody on charges of murder.
Revisiting the Fateful Night
He left home that night after telling me, ‘keep some warm water for me, I have to bathe and leave in the morning. I have found some work in Baroda.’Jayesh’s father
Prakash, 23, recounts what happened next. “Four of us, including Jayesh, were watching the garba from around 15 feet away. We were sitting on the wall just off the road.”
At around 4.30 am, Sanjay Patel approached us and asked, “What are you sitting here and watching?” I remember replying, “We are watching our sisters and brothers dance.” Patel responded with casteist slurs and told us “Tumhari aukat nahi hai (This is above your stature).”Jayesh’s cousin, Prakash
“We asked why he was abusing us. He left to get more people there. Within a couple of minutes, there were eight of them. Sanjay came and slapped me. When Jayesh came to my defense and tried to stop Sanjay, they turned on him instead.”
“They dragged him to one side and pushed us away. They flung him at the wall and he hit his head. But, they did not stop thrashing him. Every time we went towards him, they managed to push us away. The garba organisers heard the commotion and rushed to stop them. It’s only then that they broke the fight. I wanted to hit them back, but the only thing that mattered then was saving my brother,” he said.
Prakash and his other cousin, Dipak, rushed Jayesh to a private hospital nearby, with his limp body propped between them on the bike. He was then referred to the Pramukhswami Medical College in Karamsad, around 20 kilometres away, where he was declared brought dead.
Prakash fights back tears. “Jayesh used to love roaming around and wearing new clothes. He would rarely ever get angry. He was a calm person.”
'Casteism Killed My Son'
A week after his death, Bhadrania’s Dalit neighbourhood is still mourning. A group of relatives have gathered around the house.
Jayesh was a lively boy. He used to go around the house troubling me, calling me “Papa, papa, papa...” Now, I miss the sound of that. The Gujarat government has given us a cheque of Rs 4 lakh, but our son was priceless. Not even crores can replace his loss.Bhailalbhai Solanki, Jayesh’s father
Speaking about the caste faultlines that have been drawn in the village, Bhailalbhai remarks, “The sarpanch, Sarjulaben Patel, has not even come to see us once since the incident.”
Jayantibhai Solanki adds, “If something like this happens in the village, of course the sarpanch pays a visit. But in this case, she hasn't. Don’t you see? This is all based on caste.”
The mourning father trails off, “Casteism has killed my son.”
‘I Want My Son Back’
Madhuben Solanki breaks down while talking about her son. “I feel angry, but being angry is of no avail. How can being angry help?”
“Humein bas nyay chahiye. Aur hamara beta wapas chahiye. (I just want justice. And I want my son back)”Madhuben Solanki, Jayesh’s mother
She points towards Jayesh's elder sister, Pushpaben, and says, “She has not eaten anything properly since Jayesh left us.”
How can I? Every time I sit down for a meal, I can’t help but remember Jayesh.Pushpaben, Jayesh’s sister
Jayesh was her only sibling. “I had a younger brother, and they snatched him away from me.”
Patidar Parents Cry Conspiracy
Thakorbhai Patel is sure 24-year-old Sanjay is innocent. Not just that, he is confident that Jayesh was not even attacked. Patel claims Jayesh died due to a “huge rush that day” during which his head hit against the wall.
When asked how a “huge rush” could kill one person and not even injure anyone else, and since by his own admission Patel wasn’t there that night, how did he know there was a huge gathering that night, he said:
Everyone. Everyone said so. Sanjay has no role in his death at all. The Dalits wanted the huge sum of compensation, so they claimed the accident was a murder and accused eight random people of committing the crime. Jayesh’s family will get lakhs of rupees from this one fabricated story. Whichever name came to their minds first, they mentioned accuse them of murder.
A few houses down the lane, we meet 52-year-old Ranjanaben Patel. Her 22-year-old son, Rutvik, is among the eight accused.
My son is completely innocent. He was just standing nearby when the incident took place. He did not indulge in any violence, he is not at fault.Ranjanaben, mother of Rutvik Patel
Meenal, Sanjay's sister-in-law, chokes up while saying the puja in the Swaminarayan temple has stopped since the incident. “The eight who have been arrested are the ones who were running the local Swaminarayan temple. Now, even the daily puja there has stopped. This is terrible.”
“Not just Sanjay, none of the Patels are to blame for this boy’s death. They cannot possibly be guilty,” she asserts.
When asked how she is so sure, and if she really believes that the victim’s family hatched a plan to get compensation, she says, “Yes, all the people are saying so.”
Weren’t all those to say that Patidars? Meenal responds:
If there are two sides, you will speak for the side you are on. Our relatives and community members will obviously take our side.
And does this show how deep the caste divide is in the village? “No, no. There is no differentiation on the basis of caste here.”
Thakorbhai reiterates, “Yes, there is no caste discrimination in this village.”
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