Gujarat: Tribal labourers, farm-owning Patels clash in Bharuch village

Police said that they were probing the possibility of a dispute over wages being the reason behind the incident. (Representational)

Over 10 people were injured and more than 30 vehicles, including cars and bikes, damaged in clashes between tribal farm labourers and members of the Patel community, who are land owners, in a village in Bharuch district’s Ankleshwar taluka. A heavy police contingent was deployed at Old Chhapra village after the clashes, which took place late on Sunday night. Both sides have lodged counter complaints with the police.

The trigger behind the clash was reportedly a fight between the village tribal sarpanch and a resident, Paful Patel. This is the first time that a tribal holds the position of village sarpanch, which was always held by Patels earlier. Police said that they were probing the possibility of a dispute over wages being the reason behind the incident. Tribal labourers wanted their daily wage increased from Rs 120 to Rs 250, which the owners refused, said police.