Riot follows after neighbour interferes in brothers' spat | Ahmedabad News - Times of India

Source: The Times of India

Ahmedabad: What started as a spat between two brothers over a damaged mobile phone turned into a full-blown riot at Ingoli village of Dholka taluka in Ahmedabad district on Tuesday.

Two brothers, Bala Devipujak, 18, and Prakash Devipujak, 22, were in a heated argument in their home over careless damage to Prakash's mobile phone. Events took a turn when their neighbour, Thakarshi Chauhan, barged in to scold them.

One of the brothers, furious at Thakarshi's interference, told him to mind his own business. Thakarshi then called in an army of his relatives and friends. Armed with sticks, rods and machetes, they launched an attack on the Devipujaks. The assault left five people seriously wounded, states the FIR filed by the brothers' father, Ramesh, with Dholka rural police.

Ramesh revealed that Thakarshi along with his eight relatives -- Vipul Chauhan, Ajit Chauhan, Sanjay Chauhan, Bharat Chauhan, Mitha Chauhan, Kishan Chauhan, Harshad Chauhan, and Lala Chauhan -- viciously attacked his family. Prakash was so badly wounded that he is still in hospital.

Ramesh said Thakarshi had even forced his wife to apologize.

"Thakarshi loves playing the big shot. He had earlier assaulted my eldest son, Vijay, when he heard him abusing someone on the phone," Ramesh said.

Ramesh also accused Thakarshi of attempting to run over govt officials and police when they tried to catch him stealing soil from a river. He added, "Thakarshi and his men have been threatening my family despite the FIR, saying he won't let us live in the village. He threatened that no one from the Devipujak community would be allowed to stay in the village."

Dholka rural police registered a case for causing grievous hurt with weapons, criminal intimidation, rioting, and unlawful assembly.