Days after a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) worker was attacked in Kutch, a similar case has come to light from Gujarat’s Patan district. The Police have arrested one Sadiq Khan who attacked and attempted to abduct a female Durga Vahini volunteer. They also attempted to abduct her, and when she resisted, they hurled casteist abuses at her.
The incident took place on 27th July in the Sindhada village in the Patan district. In this incident, a case was registered in Santalpur police station. OpIndia has accessed a copy of the FIR. The victim’s name is Ramilaben Parmar and she lives in the village with her family. She is working as a supervisor in a private trust. The accused, Sadiq Khan, also hails from the same village and is said to be a Muslim strongman in the area.
According to the victim’s complaint, the incident took place on Saturday (27th July 2024). In the FIR, she stated that when she was returning home, she was accompanied by her sworn brother (Muh bola bhai) Gaman Bharwad. At around 7:30 PM, Sadiq’s car stopped their bike near the chemical factory. The accused was accompanied by another person but they don’t know about his identity. When she tried to confront Sadiq and asked why they stopped the bike, without any provocation or reason, he grabbed her hair and started slapping her.
In the sudden attack, Gaman Bharwad fell and he tried to save himself but the accused brutally assaulted him as well. According to the complaint, Sadiq pulled the kurta of his accomplice and directed him, “Grab her and drag her inside the car,” and he used abuse to say that they should teach her a lesson.
When they resisted, Sadiq started running away while shouting and screaming at them. According to the complaint, while fleeing, he threatened the woman and said, “You should leave the work of Durga Vahini, today you survived but if you come again, I will kill you.” After threatening her, both the accused ran away.
Following the incident, Durga Vahini member, Ramila alerted her family who rushed to the spot. She then lodged a complaint at the Santalpur police station. The Police have filed a complaint under Sections 115(2), 125(2), 296(B), 351(2), and 54 of Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the SC/ST Act and Gujarat Police Act. The accused is currently in police custody. Further action is underway.
Santalpur police told OpIndia that the other accused have not been identified yet. The investigation of the case was handed over to Patan SC/ST Cell and the Police assured that the accused would be arrested at the earliest.
Had been receiving threats earlier as well: Victim’s family shared their ordeal with OpIndia
OpIndia spoke to the victim’s elder sister, Bhagwati Parmar who is also a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Durga Vahini. She told OpIndia, “Yesterday, as my sister was late coming from work, I sent our sworn brother (Muh bola bhai), who lives in the village, to pick her up. Meanwhile, Sadiq was behind him and was recording videos. His intention behind recording the videos was to defame my brother and sister who were riding on a bike. He forcefully stopped the bike and started assaulting my sister.”
The victim’s elder sister said, “This video was an excuse. Basically, those people have objections that we volunteer in Durga Vahini and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. For the last 15 days, we have been harassed. He had given a clear threat that we should give up the cause of Hindutva or he would kill us. The police have registered an FIR including under the sections of the SC/ST act, but no arrests have been made so far. Our organizations are with us and meetings are going on regarding the case.” It is pertinent to note that hours after OpIndia spoke with the victim’s sister, Police arrested Sadiq Khan, the main accused in this case.
Bhagwati Parmar told OpIndia that the village has over 50% Muslim population and the sarpanch also hails from their community. She added that during Hindu festivals or in temple rituals like Aarti, Hanuman Chalisa, Navratri, or Ramnavami, they have to face harassment.
She stated that as many Hindu youths and women work in the Hindu advocacy groups, the Muslim villagers keep threatening them to leave the organization. Such is their fear that no one speaks against them. Hindus have to stay at home. They are assaulted for even performing Hanuman Chalisa.
She further stated, “The condition of Hindu women in the village is very bad. We have been persecuted for years. We are constantly told that either we leave the work of the Hindu organization or leave the village. Out of fear, we hesitate to even give a complaint. The atmosphere is such that we have to ask their permission to breathe. They are very stubborn and also carry weapons. Our Sarpanch’s name is Mehboob Bhai. We have complained to him about this many times, but he takes the side of Muslims and insults us. Love Jihad and torture have become common in the village. Not long ago, a girl from the village was stripped and beaten in public. After the Ramnavami procession, they assaulted Hindus on the false allegations of littering the place.”
Meanwhile, the brutal assault in Patan has outraged the Hindu organizations in the area including Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Durga Vahini of Gujarat. A series of meetings are being held in different places regarding this incident. The organization is also going to hold various programs to demand justice in this case. As per the information received, soon Sages and Saints will visit the victim’s family. Additionally, public programs will be held including recitation of Hanuman Chalisa to demand Justice.
