Vadodara: Members of the Dalit community staged a protest at the sub-divisional officer’s office in Petlad town of Anand district on Wednesday, after graves at their community burial ground were allegedly dug up during work on a civic renovation project. The incident occurred last week during renovation of Malav Lake, carried out by the Petlad municipality. As part of the project, a contractor excavated a drainage channel (kanas) to empty the lake, which passed through a traditional burial ground used by Dalit residents of the Khambhati Bhagol Rohitvas area. The burial ground, used by around 150 Dalit families with nearly 500 people, is centuries old. Members of the community bury their dead at the site, where several graves exist. During the excavation, several graves were damaged and human skeletal remains were exposed. Protesters said that the remains were handled disrespectfully and thrown aside without following any religious protocol, triggering outrage. One protester said the grave of his father, who died just 18 months ago, was dug up. Seeing his father’s skeletal remains left him devastated. Many other families reported similar experiences. After the incident, men and women of the Dalit Rohit community gathered and raised slogans outside the sub-divisional officer’s office, demanding strict action against those responsible. They also submitted a memorandum seeking construction of a compound wall around the burial ground to prevent encroachment or damage. Municipality officials said the matter is being looked into. An official from the Petlad municipality said that after receiving the representation, officials went to the site and ensured that adequate precautions were taken.
