“When the situation went out of control, the police fired some tear gas shells on the mob”, alleged Marvibhai Sarvaiya, who was riding a motorcycle, according to news agency Press Trust of India.
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This came after Dalits in Gujarat staged a huge show of strength in Una, where they vowed to intensify their agitation if their demands for granting five acres of land for each Una victim is not met by Gujarat government within one 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. “You take cow’s tail, give us land”, Mr Mavani said, adding, “We have presented our demand before the state government”. If they fail to do so (not accept demand for five acres land for each Dalit family), we will block rail routes.
“When Rohit Vemula died, Dalits from more than 30 villages in Gujarat have held rally and expressed solidarity”. He also made Dalits present at the venue take oath against the traditional business of skinning cows. Targeting Modi, Mevani said, “The sheer scale of protests had forced him to speak out on the issue”. Now we want to show solidarity to Gujarat Dalits and stand by them in hard times. We will not tolerate any more atrocities on the dalits anywhere in the country. “Everybody has to come together to fight against such atrocities”, he said.
Though Vemula’s mother did not say anything startling, her composure and determination sent a loud and clear message to the 10,000 strong crowd which gathered to salute the tricolour. He had to commit suicide just because he was a Dalit. “I have come here so that no other Dalit children face what my son had to suffer”. At several places, other community members pelted stones on some buses carrying Dalits to Una.
Slogans like “Dalits-Muslims bhai bhai” were heard at the gathering.
It was a flag hoisting with a difference at the hitherto unknown small town of Una in the southern tip of Saurashtra region of Gujarat, for long flaunted as a “model” state.
Thousands of dalits and social activists, holding posters and photographs of Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar, had started the yatra from Ahmedabad on August 4 to protest the relentless attacks on the dalits by the self-styled cow vigilantes across the country and in Gujarat.
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In every village that came en route to nearly 400 km long yatra, hundreds of Dalits gathered to welcome yatra participants and held rally to pledge to give up disposing of dead animals and instead seek lands from the government to pursue other alternative livelihood opportunities.
