Constable assaulted with stick, caste slur hurled in Ahmedabad

An unarmed police constable was allegedly assaulted with a stick and subjected to caste-based abuse late on Tuesday night in the Meghaninagar area of Ahmedabad, prompting the registration of an FIR against the accused for offences including attempt to cause grievous harm and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

According to the complaint lodged on April 8, the victim, Jayeshkumar Nandubhai Vasava (43), a resident of Naroda Police Line and currently posted at Meghaninagar Police Station, stated that the incident occurred around 11.30 pm on April 7 near a food outlet opposite Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in the Memco area.

Vasava, who belongs to a Scheduled Tribe community, told the police that he had stopped at a Maratha non-vegetarian shop to collect a food parcel while returning home on his two-wheeler after duty. As he was about to start his vehicle, the accused, identified as Jitendrasinh Aniruddhasinh Jadeja, a resident of Adarsh Society near Pooja Hospital, allegedly approached him armed with a stick.

The complainant alleged that the accused began hurling abuses, including caste-based slurs, and issued death threats. “He said I would be finished today,” Vasava stated in his complaint, adding that the accused attempted to strike him on the head with the stick.

In an attempt to shield himself, Vasava raised his hands, sustaining injuries to his wrists, palms and thumb. He further alleged that as he tried to dismount from his vehicle, the accused struck him on the thigh and ankle before fleeing the spot.

Local shopkeepers and bystanders reportedly intervened, following which the accused escaped. The injured constable contacted fellow personnel, who rushed to the spot and shifted him to Civil Hospital, where he was treated and later discharged.

The complaint also refers to an earlier incident on April 1, when Vasava and other police personnel encountered the accused during a patrol near Mangal Pandey Hall. The accused had allegedly refused to disclose his identity and engaged in a verbal altercation before being taken to the police station, where he later apologised. Investigators believe the earlier confrontation may have triggered the subsequent attack.

The FIR has been registered at Shehrkotda Police Station, and the case has been handed over to an Assistant Police Commissioner for investigation. Police officials said statements the accused has been arrested and further investigation is on.  

Officials added that relevant sections about assault, criminal intimidation, and offences under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been invoked, given the nature of the allegations.