Ahmedabad: In an eerie chain of murders in Botad, Manji Solanki was killed in 2019. A witness to this murder, Rajesh Makwana was murdered in 2023. Sanjay Vaghela, witness to Makwana’s killing, was also found murdered earlier this week on Monday. All three victims belonged to the Dalit community, linking the incidents over seven years and the police now probing whether the latest murder is part of a continuing chain of targeted attacks.The sequence began with the murder of Solanki, husband of the sarpanch of Jalila village in Ranpur taluka, on June 19, 2019. According to police, Solanki was riding a motorcycle on the Barwala-Ranpur highway when a car rammed into him. He was then assaulted by a group armed with iron pipes and sticks. He suffered serious injuries and died during treatment in Ahmedabad. An FIR was registered against six accused. Rajesh Makwana later became a witness in the case.Makwana, a witness to Solanki’s murder, was himself killed on September 6, 2023, near Aksharwadi on the road to Bagad village in Ranpur taluka of Botad. According to his complaint, Dhiru Khachar, Haresh Khachar, Kishor Khachar, Raghu Khachar and three unidentified persons arrived in a Swift car and an Alto car. They stopped him, dragged him aside and assaulted him with pipes and sticks. He suffered fractures in both legs and injuries to his hand. The attackers also broke his mobile phone and threatened to kill him. He was first taken to a hospital in Botad and later shifted to Bhavnagar, where he died during treatment. Police initially registered attempt to murder charges and later added murder. Video of him narrating the attack on him went viral hours before his death, then.Now, a second witness in that chain has been killed. On March 23, 2026, Sanjay Vaghela, a witness in the Makwana murder case, was found dead in a field near Godhavata village.According to the complaint filed by his brother Mehul Vaghela, Sanjay had left home in the evening saying he was going to Godhavata. When he did not return, the family searched for him and tried calling his phone, but it remained unreachable.In the early hours, police informed the family that Kalu Jumra, a resident originally from Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh and currently staying near Godhavata, had reported a dispute. The family reached the field of Raju Gadhvi, where Sanjay was found lying dead. The complaint states that Sanjay had injury marks on his neck, face, legs and back, and soil was found in his mouth and nose. His car and mobile phone were found near the spot.An FIR has been registered against Jumra, Gadhvi and others for murder. Police suspect the killing may be linked to Vaghela’s role as a witness in the 2023 murder case.All three victims belonged to the Dalit community. The investigation in both the 2023 and 2026 murder cases is being handled by DySP Maharshi Raval of the SC-ST cell.
