Congress Leader Booked for Insulting Dalit Woman Officer in Gujarat

A Gujarat Congress leader, Haresh Ahir, was booked for allegedly injuring a Dalit woman intelligence bureau officer by pulling a chair from under her at a press conference. The incident has sparked political tension, with opposing parties accusing each other of ulterior motives and malpractice.

A Gujarat Congress leader was booked on Saturday for allegedly insulting and causing injuries to a Dalit woman state intelligence bureau official by pulling the chair from under her at a party MLA's press conference in Bhuj in Kutch district, police said.

The woman assistant intelligence officer was on official duty when Haresh Ahir pulled the chair from under her after she stood up, causing her to fall and get injured when she tried to sit back, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police AR Zankat.

Ahir, the coordinator of Congress Kisan Cell, attended a press conference organized by Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani at the circuit house in Bhuj. Reena Chauhan, the IB official, was present there as part of her job to prepare a report, officials said.

In a post on X, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi condemned the incident and branded the Congress as ''anti-women and anti-Dalit.'' Mevani refuted this by claiming Ahir was framed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party government.

Sharing a video of the incident, Sanghavi illustrated how Chauhan was standing to click a photo when Ahir pulled the chair from under her, causing her to fall and suffer injuries, requiring hospital treatment. The woman official was reportedly shocked and depressed after the incident.

Ahir, aware that the woman was an IB official on government duty and a Dalit, reportedly quipped she was unworthy of the chair, according to Deputy SP Zankat. The FIR lodged at Bhuj A-division police station indicated Ahir's act was intentional to insult and injure her, knowing she belonged to the Scheduled Caste community.

The Congress leader was charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 121, 221, and 133, along with provisions under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Posting a video of the incident on X, Sangahvi stated, "The mentality of Congress has always been anti-women and anti-Dalit." Meanwhile, Congress MLA Mevani alleged the BJP government used the female IB officer to target a Congress worker trying to expose the home minister.

Mevani criticized the Gujarat BJP government and its home minister for not addressing grievous issues affecting Dalits while accusing them of orchestrating a frivolous FIR against Ahir using the woman IB official to serve their interests.