Dalits to intensify stir if demands not met

The members of the Dalit community on Independence Day threatened to intensify their agitation by launching a massive rail roko stir if their 10-point demands are not met by the state government within a month.

A decision to this effect was taken on Monday at Una, the epicenter of atrocities committed against Dalit youths for skinning a dead cow. As many as 20,000 members from the Dalit community from across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Maharashtra  gathered to celebrate India’s 70th Independence Day at Una on completion of over a week-long Dalit Asmita Rally.

“You take cow’s tail, give us land,” Jignesh Mavani, a lawyer-turned politician who set-up the Una Dalit Atachiyar Ladat Samiti and led the 350-km week-long march, said in his address to the gathering.

“This is elaan-e-jung (battle cry). If they fail to do so (not accept demand for five acres land for each Dalit family), we will block rail routes. If a Patidar leader (Hardik Patel) can go to jail for nine months over demands of his community, I am ready to go for 27 months,” Mavani said. He also made Dalits present at the venue take oath against the traditional business of skinning cows.

This was oft repeated at the gatherings in towns and villages covered during the yatra, where Dalits would pledge not to continue with the occupation of disposing the dead cattle.

On July 11, some youths from Mota Samadhiyala village in Gir Somnath District were paraded half naked and floggled in public at Una town by self- appointed cow protection vigilantes.