A Dalit lawyer in Gujarat’s Kutch district was brutally murdered on Friday evening, prompting angry community members to launch protests and block highways.
Devji Maheshwari, resident of Rapar town in Kutch and a lawyer with over a decade of practice, was stabbed on his way to his office. He succumbed to his injuries before he could be taken to a nearby hospital.
As the word spread about the heinous killing, hundreds of community members in Rapar and other towns in the district blocked highways and burnt scrap tyres. While protests spread, the family members refused to accept the lawyer’s body for cremation and demanded the arrest of those responsible. The family members have named nine persons belonging to an upper caste in the murder.
According to sources, the murder was a result of a property dispute, in which Mr. Maheshwari was appearing for a party. Police said Mr. Maheshwari was stabbed while entering his office at Rapar town on Friday evening. A CCTV video showed a youth walking behind the lawyer to his office and running back.
“We have detained some people. Very soon we will get to the bottom of the case,” a police official from Kutch told The Hindu.
