Amit Cowper - Dalit backlash puts Gujarat on the boil / Four Dalit men stripped, beaten by cow protection vigilantes in Gujarat
The assault on a group
of Dalits by a vigilante cow protection group in Una in Gujarat’s Gir-Somnath
district last week for allegedly killing a cow, has left the state government
grappling to contain a violent backlash while both the opposition Congress and
the Aam Aadmi Party are poised to make political capital out of it. Chief minister
Anandiben Patel will visit Una town on Wednesday to meet the victims and the
family members.
Patel has condemned
the incident and appealed the people to maintain peace. “It was indeed a
despicable act, and no community can tolerate it. Local police was also at
fault, as they did not act swiftly. Apart from arresting the culprits, we have
also suspended such policemen. State government will provide a compensation of
Rs 4 lakh to each of the victims,” she said. She has also ordered a
CID probe into the incident and also announced setting up of a special court
for “speedy” trial.
The Gujarat units of
the Congress and the AAP have called for a protest rally on Wednesday. “I see a clear hand of
the BJP in the Una incident, where the police were mute spectators even when
the Dalit youth were being beaten up. We are demanding stern action against all
the 35 people involved in the Una incident,” Congress leader Shankersinh
Vaghela, told reporters. Vaghela along with the
Gujarat Congress regional committee president, Bharatsinh Solanki, and other SC
MLAs met governor OP Kohli and submitted a memorandum demanding strict action
in the Una case.
The victims claimed
that they were skinning the cow which had died of natural causes when they were
attacked. The video of the incident which went viral, sparked protests that led
to a policeman’s killing in mob violence while a Dalit committed suicide. Several incidents of
stone-pelting and road blockades were reported from many parts of Gujarat on
Tuesday. The attacks on buses led to the cancellation of transport services in
Saurashtra.... Dalit protesters set
on fire three state transport buses, including two in Dhoraji and one in Dhrol
near Jamnagar, and vandalised a telephone exchange in Rajkot. A 2,000-strong mob
also attacked two state buses in Amreli town in Saurashtra region.
