Cops flee after 18 men storm Gujarat farmhouse with swords, sharp weapons

After a violent farmhouse attack in Gujarat where police initially fled, authorities arrested 18 accused and publicly paraded them, triggering debate over law enforcement methods and accountability.

In Gujarat’s Patan, a village dispute over temple donations has now turned into something far bigger.

On the night of March 15, as a mob armed with swords and sticks stormed a farmhouse in the village, two police vans stood at the spot - and then drove away. What followed was unchecked violence.

Days later, the same men were dragged back to the streets, beaten with sticks and made to beg for forgiveness before a crowd.

The incident unfolded in Chanasma taluka, where 15 to 20 men arrived in nearly eight vehicles and targeted the farmhouse of Bhavesh Desai. CCTV footage, now widely shared, shows the group smashing gates, tearing through the property and issuing death threats. Names like Jitubha, Jahubha, Dalpuji and alleged main conspirator Jahu Shankar Thakor surfaced as the footage spread.

At the heart of the violence was a simmering dispute over temple donation funds, a local rivalry that spiralled into a show of force.

But what has gripped attention is what the footage also reveals - police presence, followed by police retreat.