By Our Correspondent
Ahmedabad, June 7

Police officials interrogate people witness to the murder of a dalit youth in Amraiwadi area of Ahmedabad.Pix: Nikhil

Tension mounted at Bhilwada in Amraiwadi area on Wednesday evening, after a 19-year-old youth of dalit community was murdered in broad daylight by four members of the upper caste. Senior police officials including deputy commissioner (zone-V), K.D.

Patodiya, and R.I. Kadri, assistant commissioner, rushed to the area after a mob of about 1,000 dalit residents broke into agitation.

Intensive police bandobast and presence of large contingent of policemen in the area prevented any sort of clashes between residents of upper castes and the dalits.

Mahesh Parmar, a resident of Ganeshnagar, a dalit-dominated residential area, was brutally stabbed by four miscreants near Hanuman temple on Sabgannagar Road in Amraiwadi at around 11 am. Parmar was declared brought dead at the LG Hospital, while the assailants fled away from the area immediately after the incident.

The four miscreants, also from the same area, were identified as Prakash Mishra of Heeraben ni Chali, Hariom Thakur of Mitha Seth ni Chali of Bhilwada, Laliyo Thakur of Ramakadawale ni Chali and Amin Thakur of Ramakadawale ni Chali.

Though the police said that the incident was a fall out of a heated altercation between the victim and the four accused, sources told The Asian age on Wednesday, that the incident was a result of tension between the dalits and upper caste population from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar residing in the area. "The incident occurred when Mahesh Parmar was cycling back home at Ganeshnagar. He protested against rough cycling by the four miscreants," Mr Rathore, inspector of Amraiwadi told The Asian Age.

"The miscreants left their bicycles and attacked Mahesh with a sharp knife stabbing on his chest causing his immediate death," the inspector added. Before the passers-by could apprehend the miscreants, they fled from the spot.

Amid intensive police arrangement, Parmar's body was taken to the local crematorium for his last rites where about 1,000 residents gathered at the funeral, police said.

Till Wednesday late night, two of the four accused were arrested by the Amraiwadi police and S.S. Chudasma, senior inspector of the Amraiwadi police station, is conducting a search operation to track down the other two culprits. Till this report went to print, police officials were camping in the area and additional police pickets have been installed to avoid any flare up.