Dalit man dies after being beaten by hotel staff in Vadodara

Vadodara: A Dalit man died after being allegedly thrashed by a hotel owner belonging to an upper caste community and his accomplice following an argument, during which they also hurled casteist slurs at the victim in Gujarat’s Mahisagar district, police said on Saturday.

The victim, Raju Vankar (45), died while undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Vadodara city on Friday night, two days after being thrashed by the hotel owner and his counter manager, an official of Bakor police station said.

Dalit leader and Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani demanded immediate arrest of the accused, whom he called “casteist goons” and warned of a protest.