Fight for Dalit rights will continue, Mevani on Kutch incident

Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch Convenor and Gujarat Legislative Assembly Member Jignesh Mevani announced today that the fight for Dalit rights will continue in Gujarat, although the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 21 lakh to the Dalit families, attacked in Kutch.

Six members of a Dalit family were attacked by 20 upper caste Hindu men in Bachhau taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat. The Dalit family members, including women, were beaten up with rods and sticks, for entering a Hindu temple.

The police have registered cases under various sections of Indian Penal Code and under the Schedule Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, against the 20 attackers.

Mevani, who had announced a protest in Ahmedabad tomorrow, against the government for its failure to protect the Dalit, tweeted that following his announcement of the protest, the government swung into action to announce the compensation, but the fight for Dalit rights will continue.

He questioned why Dalit are still being treated as untouchables and are not allowed by the upper caste Hindus to sport long moustaches, ride a horse or draw water from a public source.

He charged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not concerned about Dalit rights and said that the attack on the Dalit family in Kutch is in a region, which is in the jurisdiction of a parliamentary constituency, reserved for the Scheduled Caste and the current Member of Parliament from the constituency is silent on the attack on the Dalit family.

Mevani will be in Rapar taluka of Kutch tomorrow to fight for the entry of Dalit in a temple on a land belonging to a Dalit and allegedly held by a member of the upper caste.