Reacting to the yesterday's incident in which a 26 years old Dalit man was shot by a Police Sub Inspector in Junagadh during a mob violence, Gujarat Congress vice-president Girish Parmar said, "Local police are targeting Dalits. Police are creating circumstances to allow firing upon Dalits."
"With elections approaching, they want to instill fear in Dalits' minds," Parmar alleged.
In the last one month, there were more than 20 instances of atrocities against Dalits in which eight persons were killed, he claimed.
This was in addition to death of three Dalits in police firing in Thangadh in Surendranagar district and yesterday's incident, he said.
Alleging that the ruling Narendra Modi government was misusing the police force to target Dalits, Parmar said,"Dalit community is increasingly feeling insecure under the BJP regime."
Sagar Solanki was injured when police opened fire to control a mob that went on rampage in Sardar chowk area of Junagadh following a collision between a car and a Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation bus yesterday.
The incident came close on the heels of death of three Dalits in Thangadh in police firing.
Junagadh Superintendent of Police Dipankar Trivedi told PTI that "cross-complaints" had been registered. Dalit community members lodged a complaint against Sub Inspector Zala while he too filed a complaint against Solanki and others.
"As the case against Zala has been lodged under Prevention of Atrocities Act, it is being probed by DySP P P Bhatt," he said.
