Jaipur, March 10 -- At least three people have been arrested so far for allegedly assaulting a Dalit Congress leader and hurling casteist remarks at him when he attempted to measure a road in Rajasthan's Karauli district, police said on Monday, adding the incident stems from an old rivalry. According to police, the incident took place on February 26, when the victim, who belongs to the Bairwa community, went to measure a road in front of the house of the three accused who come from the Gurjar community, an upper caste. "One person was arrested on March 1 while the other two were held on Sunday. It seems to be an old rivalry as the three accused were earlier arrested on October 2, for making similar remarks to the victim's sister-in-law during a Gram Sabha, and were out on bail," said Kamlesh Singh, the station house officer (SHO) of Karauli's Balghat. According to officials, the victim, Lakkhi Ram, who contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 on a Congress ticket, while his sister-in-law is the current sarpanch of Balghat village. "On February 26, I, along with a BDO and some other officials went to measure a road commissioned by the panchayat for construction. This road was located in front of the three accused's house. As soon as we started the job, the three objected while also making casteist remarks," read a copy of the FIR filed by Lakkhi Ram and seen by HT. According to Lakkhi Ram, he then asked the officials to measure another road. "When they started heading towards the other road, the three chased them in a car. Soon after reaching the spot, the three vandalised their car and brutally assaulted me," read the FIR. He stated that the accused launched an attack with a sword, pistol, and some sticks. "I fainted after the incident and the officials rescued me and rushed me to a hospital from where I was further referred to Rajasthan Hospital in Jaipur," Lakkhi Ram stated in the FIR. The case was lodged under sections 189(2) (unlawful assembly), 115 (2) (intentionally causing hurt to any person), 127 (2) (wrongful confinement), 307 (theft committed after preparing to cause death, hurt, or restraint), 324 (4) (causing damage or loss worth Rs.20,000 to less than Rs.1 lakh), 351 (2) (threat to injure the reputation of any deceased person), and 352 (intentional insults aimed at provoking a person to break the public peace or commit another offence) of BNS and relevant sections of the SC/ST Act against Surjeet Gurjar, Naresh Gurjar, and Pushpendra Gurjar. "We have arrested the accused and are also probing whether anyone else was involved in the matter. Further probe is underway," said SHO Singh. Meanwhile, Lakkhi Ram's son, Vishal Ram said his father sustained four fractures on both his legs and hands. "They are Gurjars and we are Bairwa. They never liked us. They think they are superior to us. Our village has had a Dalit sarpanch for the last 15 years. Many of the upper caste people and the Gurjars are against us. My father contested the Lok Sabha elections and is an active member of Congress. But nothing matters. My father is still in the ICU," he said....