Ahmedabad, February 17: A Dalit Armyman’s wedding procession was pelted with stones in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district after the groom rode a mare. Stones were allegedly pelted by Thakor Koli community members. The incident took place on Sunday at around 11 am at Sharifda village. Kasganj: Dalit Groom Takes Wedding Procession Through Thakur-dominated Village Amid Unprecedented Security.

According to a report published in The Indian Express, the Indian Army jawan named Akash Kumar Koitiya had recently finished his training in Bengaluru. He was to join his posting at Meerut. Koitiya is serving with the military police wing of the Army and was on leave for his wedding.

In the incident three of the groom’s relatives sustained injuries. Fortunately, the groom had a narrow escape and was taken to a police control room van. The family of the armyman said that they received threats from a few people of the Thakor Koli community, after which six-seven police personnel were deployed to accompany the wedding procession. Uttarakhand: Dalit Youth Beaten to Death by Upper Caste Men in Tehri Garhwal for Sitting on Chair and Eating Dinner at Wedding.

Vijay Koitiya, the elder brother of the groom, told the media house, “After the procession started moving, a group of people started throwing stones.” Vijay is also serving in the Indian Army. An FIR has been filed at Gadh police station in Banaskantha. A total of 11 people were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal code including section 323, 337 and 294.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 17, 2020 09:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).