Dalit groom assaulted, baraat stopped after upper-caste men object to horse riding in Gujarat

Mehsana: A Dalit groom’s wedding procession was allegedly halted and he was assaulted by members of an upper-caste group after they objected to him riding a horse, police and local activists said.

The incident took place around 10 am on May 10 near the village dairy in Madi village, Vijapur taluka. Complainant Bhavik Rawat said his younger brother, groom Mayank Rawat, was abused and manhandled by Yuvrajsinh Chauhan and Nikulsinh Chauhan of the Darbar community. The men are reported to have hurled casteist slurs, claimed horse-mounted processions were a Darbar prerogative, and threatened the family, prompting panic among relatives and guests and stopping the baraat before it could reach Ahmedabad for the ceremony.

Ladol police registered an FIR against the two accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Local activist Kaushik Parmar described the episode as another example of entrenched discrimination that persists despite constitutional safeguards.

Horse riding during weddings is widely practised across India, yet Dalit grooms repeatedly face opposition when such customs symbolise claims to dignity and equal social status. Recent months have seen similar attacks: in April 2026 a physically disabled Dalit groom in Damoh (Madhya Pradesh) was allegedly dragged off his horse and assaulted; in February 2026 armed men reportedly attacked a Dalit baraat in Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh); and earlier incidents in Gujarat’s Patan district and several Uttar Pradesh districts involved assaults and intimidation over music, horse riding or processions.

Activists say these recurring confrontations underline the depth of caste-based exclusion in social and cultural spaces, despite laws abolishing untouchability and guaranteeing equality. Mehsana district itself has a history of caste tensions, including past assaults and protests that reflect long-standing divisions.