Gujarat is witnessing widespread protests following the incident at Una where seven Dalit youths were beaten up for skinning a dead cow on July 11. 16 members of the Dalit community, including local Congress leader Anil Madhad, attempted suicide in Saurashtra on Monday and Tuesday as a form of protest. Several suicide attempts were reported on Tuesday from Junagadh, Gondal, Kesod and Ahmedabad. According to local news agency Sandesh, one Hemant Bhika Solanki died after drinking poison in Khambaliya village, Bhesan.
Protestors set two state transport buses on fire in Gondal and blocked a national highway for several hours. During a protest rally in Surendranagar, a group also dumped carcasses in the local Collector’s office. Clashes between protestors and the police were reported from Amreli district as well. A police man also was killed in the violence.
Violence erupted Tuesday in Rajkot city, Rajkot district, Surendranagar, Amreli, Junagadh and Ahmedabad. Police said a mob hurled stones at a police patrol in Amreli. Constable Pankaj Rameshbhai Amreliya, one of those seriously injured in the attack, died in hospital later.
Additional DGP (Law and Order) V M Pargi said: “The constable was shifted to Rajkot civil hospital where he died.” He said violent protests were reported from other districts as well. P P Pandey, DGP in-charge, issued a statement, appealing to people to maintain peace.
Gujarat Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel, according to a PTI report from Udaipur, backed the protesting Dalits, saying they have faced exploitation and their demands are justified. Released after nine months in jail, Patel has to remain outside Gujarat for six months on court orders.
On Monday night, mobs took to the streets and set ablaze state transport buses in Rajkot, Dhoraji and other towns of Saurashtra. In Surendranagar, a truckload of cow carcasses were dumped outside the collector’s office.
The Gujarat government has suspended four police officers for negligence, and ordered a Criminal Investigation Department probe into the matter. Chief Minister Anandiben Patel said a court will be set up to expedite the trial and a charge sheet will be submitted within 60 days. The state police have arrested a total of nine people in connection with the assault incident.
The victims were skinning a dead cow they had bought, when around six men intervened and started asking them how and where they got it. They accused the Dalits of killing the animal and started thrashing them.
The assault was caught on camera and went viral when one of the accused uploaded it, cautioning people against killing bovine creatures unless they want to meet the same fate. The video showed several men stripping the victims, tying them to an SUV and beating them up with iron pipes and sticks.
The accused, who belong to a local cow protection committee, then took the four men to a nearby village and assaulted them further before taking them to Una town, 24 km from the spot. Police Inspector NU Zala said the men stopped their vehicle on their way and thrashed the victims in the middle of the road. Three people who tried to stop them were also beaten up.
Dalit Panthers of Gujarat today gave a call for a state-wide bandh tomorrow in protest against the brutal thrashing of Dalit youths in Una town of Gir-Somnath district last week.
Various organisations such as the Jan Sangharsh Manch and Dalit Movement of India have supported the call.
“Dalit Panthers of Gujarat has given a Gujarat bandh call tomorrow to protest against the atrocities on dalits in Una town. More than ten organisations have supported our call,” said General Secretary of Gujarat Dalit Panthers Rahul Parmar.
These are insensitive and disgusting people who are doing such shameful acts of beating and humilation others on the name of cow… If These idiots are so concerned with the skinning of dead cows , then same on you gujaratis… See the condition of cows everywhere in gujarat… They are dyning of hunger on roads , unattended.. They cant see that… Their xuvs are causing deaths of cows everyday on roads….then why so much dram.. Just to gain cheap publicity….
This is ‘ Gujarat Model’ for you…!!! Exploitation of dalits, killing of dalits and weaker sections of people, massacring Muslims, suicide of farmers, corruption, …and more importantly, trampling of rights by Adani, ANBANI, tatas, ….
The whole partisan media has misled people by not reporting the atrocities in Gujarat all these years… an alternative dalit media should come up to expose the facts…!!
Try eating a steak or a Hamburger and you will be thrilled.
To beat up innocent people who thrive, and that too for centuries, on skinning dead animals for a living, is a shame full and of such magnitude that Dalits should start agitating for a separate nation. This agitation has the potential nd gives a clarion call throughout India to Dalits who have faced discrimination from Upper caste Hindus. And upper caste Hindus will die with identity crises if Dalits start an agitation in that direction. I tell Dalits, go ahead and divide India, Which idiot would want to be a part of cows piss drinkers Nation.
who give such rights to beat human being ? now such spiritual person will run over india? what they want do to such things … political benefits or gujarat governement is against secularism ? arrest all the persons under oterocity who r responsible for such britual incident..if strict action will not taken immediatily against that criminals … it will threaten our our country`s intergity…….
as gujarat government is against reservation.. i think castesim comes again in india through gujarat … such incident shows that dalits are exploitated in gujarat too much and such sipritual persons have no fear of law … or they getting any political supports to do such britual act…..
There are irrational people in every community, caste and religion. LET THE RATIONAL UNITE- NOT LET NOT THE IRRATIONAL DIVIDE US!
Unfortunately Dalits have aligned themselves with Modi. They have taken part in the persecution of Christians and Muslims. It’s time to wake up and join forces with Muslims and Christians and fight back upper caste oppression
What I fail to understand that had not the victims had knives in their hands. Had they killed at least two of the cow vigilante group men, they wound not have suffered this much humiliation and suffering.