AHMEDABAD: A shocking case of alleged custodial-style torture linked to a BJP MLA’s family has triggered controversy in Gujarat’s Bharuch district.
A tribal dumper driver accused of diesel theft claimed he was brutally beaten, hung upside down with ropes and abused with casteist slurs inside a private office.
Police have now booked five accused, including the son of BJP MLA Akshay Patel, under IPC and SC/ST Atrocities Act provisions, triggering outrage among tribal community leaders and demands for immediate arrests.
In a disturbing incident, a tribal dumper driver working for the family of BJP MLA Akshay Patel has accused the MLA’s son and his associates of subjecting him to barbaric torture over allegations of diesel theft.
The case has now escalated into a major political and social controversy, with police registering offences under serious IPC sections and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The victim, Natvarbhai Vasava, a resident of Indoregam in Navinagri area of Jhagdiya taluka, has alleged that he was mercilessly assaulted inside the Bakapur office of Rushi Patel, son of BJP MLA Akshay Patel, where he had been employed as a dumper driver for nearly a year.
According to the police complaint, the horrifying sequence unfolded on May 15 after Natvarbhai returned from Jambusar along with another driver after unloading sand.
Around 5 pm, he was allegedly summoned to the office, where Rushi Patel confronted him with a photograph of a vehicle and accused him of stealing diesel.
“When I denied the allegation, they turned furious. First, Rushi Patel attacked me with an iron pipe, and then the others started beating me with plastic pipes one after another,” the victim stated in his complaint to police. However, the allegations did not stop at assault.
Natvarbhai has further claimed that the accused crossed all limits of brutality by tying his legs with a rope, hanging him upside down inside the office and hurling caste-based abuses at him while continuing the assault.
“They tortured me inhumanly. I was abused because of my caste and beaten till I lost consciousness,” the complaint states.
According to the FIR, the accused fled after the victim collapsed unconscious.
Other employees present at the office later rescued him and transported him on a motorcycle to the Kahona boat ghat, from where his son brought him back home.
His condition reportedly deteriorated, forcing family members to call a 108 ambulance. He was first admitted to Umalla Government Hospital before being shifted to Rajpipla Civil Hospital for advanced treatment.
The incident has sparked widespread anger among tribal community leaders, who have accused authorities of being slow with the investigation due to political influences allegedly connected to the accused.
Community representatives have claimed that several stringent legal provisions are yet to be invoked in the case and warned that they would soon approach the DySP demanding stronger action.
“We want every piece of evidence preserved without political pressure. All accused must be arrested immediately, and no attempt should be made to dilute the case,” tribal leaders reportedly stated while backing the victim’s family.
Police have currently registered a case against five accused under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 115(2), 118(1), 127(2), 296(B), 189(2), 190 and 191(2), along with provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act.
Separate teams have also been formed to trace and arrest the absconding accused.
Attempts were reportedly made to contact BJP MLA Akshay Patel regarding the allegations against his son, but no response could be obtained.