Gujarat: Tribal youth beaten on suspicion of theft dies

Ahmedabad: The second tribal youth who was brutally beaten up by a group of six labourers engaged in the construction of the National Tribal Museum at Gurudeshwar, about six kilometres from the Statue of Unity in Kevadia in Narmada district, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning. Sanjay Tadvi, 35, a resident of Gabhana village in Gurudeshwar taluka, died during treatment at the Rajpipla civil hospital, police said. Earlier on Wednesday, Sanjay’s friend Jayesh Tadvi was beaten to death at the construction site. On Wednesday, Sanjay had lodged a complaint with the local police that he had gone to the construction site with Jayesh to steal iron pipes and sell them as scrap.

In his statement, based on which the FIR was lodged, Sanjay said the accused labourers caught hold of them at the site. They tied their hands and when they learnt that they were tribals, two of the accused started beating them with PVC pipes and wooden sticks, while the other four accused kicked and punched them. Jayesh collapsed and died on the spot. Following the FIR, the police arrested all the six accused. They have been booked under Section 103(2) of the Indian Penal Code (BNS) for rioting and other sections as well as sections of the Atrocities Act. Meanwhile, AAP MLA from Dediapada Chatar Vasava has called for a ‘bandh’ in Garudeshwar taluka on Friday to protest the killings. He has demanded a compensation of Rs one crore for the families of the victims and demanded that the construction company be named in the FIR.