Kutch-based Dalit activist murdered for anti-Brahmin Facebook posts, say cops; family alleges larger conspiracy

A 22-year-old youth arrested for killing Kutch-based Dalit activist and lawyer Devji Maheshwari is learnt to have told the police that he allegedly killed the lawyer for repeatedly putting up "anti-Brahmin" posts on social media and that he "acted alone."

The victim's family members and relatives, however, are doubting the police's findings, alleging that there was a larger conspiracy at play and that the suspect, Bharat Raval, worked with eight others involved in a land dispute who wanted to get rid of Maheshwari.

The police sources said that Raval, a resident of Rapar town, had threatened Maheshwari at least three or four times on the phone, warning him to stop posting content on Facebook against the Brahmin community. Senior police officials said that Raval has allegedly confessed that he was angry with Maheshwari over such posts that showed the Brahmin community "in poor light".

"We have recordings of phone conversations between Raval and Maheshwari that reveal the former threatening the latter over his posts against the Brahmin community," a police officer involved in the investigation told DH.

The family members, however, have alleged that Maheshwari was killed for taking up a case related to a land dispute between two different communities in the town. They said that no advocate was willing to take up the matter due to fear from one of the communities. When one community approached Maheshwari and he agreed, it irked the other community that led to the conspiracy of killing the lawyer.

"Kutch has a violent history of clashes between Dalits and other communities, specially Darbars, but we don't have a similar history with Brahmins in the whole region. We have a firm belief that Raval was motivated by the other suspects in order to kill Maheshwari," said a relative of Maheshwari.

Read: Gujarat town tense after 50-year-old Dalit lawyer's murder

Maheshwari's dead body hasn't been accepted by the family members who are demanding the arrest of all the accused.

Alleged to be an alcoholic, Raval is said to have had an altercation with Maheshwari even in the past. Maheshwari was an activist of the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) and an office-bearer of the Indian Legal Professionals Association.

Local sources said that Raval and Maheshwari lived in Rapar town closeby and knew each other.

"Raval is a notorious alcoholic. His wife committed suicide most likely due to his drinking habit but we don't know for sure. We are probing everything about this man," said a senior police officer.

When asked, a senior police officer confirmed that Raval's wife died by suicide and they were looking into the reason.

On Friday evening, Raval was seen standing outside Maheshwari's office in the CCTV footage. The footage shows Maheshwari entering his office and Raval following him inside. Within seconds, Raval can be seen rushing back while Maheshwari comes out with his white shirt soaked in blood after being allegedly stabbed by Raval multiple times.

On Saturday, Raval was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch from the Malad locality where he had gone to see his former employee who also hails from Rapar.

On Monday, he was produced before a local court where he was granted five-day police custody for further investigation. Sources said that the police have also rounded up Mahesh Bhoja from Mumbai who had employed Raval there. After stabbing Maheshwari, Raval had contacted him besides another person identified as Viral Patel. In all, the police have detained seven persons while have arrested Raval.

"We are trying to find the motive as alleged by the victim's family members. As on today, all evidence suggests that Raval worked alone," said an official who is part of the investigation.

Over the past three days, Kutch has seen protests from the Dalit community demanding immediate arrest of all the accused.