Dalit couple attacked in Gujarat, woman dies on the spot, man critical

An unidentified person armed with a sharp weapon attacked a Dalit couple in their house in Mera village of Surendranagar district in the wee hours of Friday. The woman died on the spot due to excessive bleeding, while the man confronted the attacker but suffered severe injuries and was rushed to Mehsana for treatment in a private hospital.

Around 3 a.m. on Friday morning, a person entered Palabhai Vaghela's house. He slit the throat of 52-year-old Gamraben Vaghela. Palabhai woke up and confronted the attacker but was stabbed in the neck and hands. As Palabhai began screaming, neighbours rushed to help but the accused escaped taking advantage of the darkness, said H L Thakkar, Police Sub Inspector at Dasad police station.

Villagers informed the police and when a team reached the spot they found that Gamraben had died. The severely injured Palabhai was rushed to a hospital in Mehsana. The police called a FSL team and the dog squad but could find no clue, said a police official.

The villagers are angry because this is the third such incident, where innocent people have been murdered, alleged Dasada MLA Nausad Solanki. He said that the Vaghela family had a very good reputation in the village as well as in the community. Palabhai was called for 'Bhajan' programmes in the surrounding area.

Solanki recollected that a few months ago a senior citizen from the Muslim community, who too had a good reputation in the society, was murdered. Also, a youth was killed just outside his home. Both the crimes were committed in the Dasada police station area and both the cases are still unsolved, he alleged.