This Article is From Jul 20, 2016

PM Modi Upset About Gujarat Dalit Attack, Says Home Minister: 10 Points

Protests have escalated in Gujarat over the thrashing of Dalit men in Una

Ahmedabad: Roiling protests in Gujarat against the thrashing and public shaming of four Dalit men for skinning a dead cow had a united opposition targeting the government in Parliament today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "very sad and upset about the attack on Dalits", Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, responding to the attacks.

Here are 10 developments in the story:

  1. The Congress, Mayawati's BSP and other parties forced many disruptions in the Rajya Sabha, accusing the government of not acting against "Dalit atrocities".

  2. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Home Minister said: "Be it Dalits in Gujarat, or any other state ruled by any other party, we are there to help you. We must get a permanent solution to such incidents. The mindset has to change."

  3. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a meeting of party MPs this morning, called the incident an "example of social terror that this government condones."

  4. Her son and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will visit Gujarat tomorrow and Arvind Kejriwal is likely to head there on Friday.

  5. In a statement, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called the incident "organised crime against Dalits".

  6. On July 11, four men, said to be tannery workers by the police, were stripped, tied to an SUV, flogged with iron rods and paraded by "Gau Rakshaks" or self-styled cow protectors in Una, 360 km from Ahmedabad.

  7. The cow vigilantes then put up the video online as a "warning". The clip, which went viral and provoked outrage across the country, helped the police identify and arrest eight attackers. Six policemen have been suspended.

  8. The victims had pleaded that they were only taking the skin off a carcass. Severely wounded, the young men have been in hospital since that day.

  9. Protests against the incident across Gujarat snowballed this week; a policeman was killed yesterday in stone-throwing in Amreli, around 400 km from Ahmedabad.

  10. Twelve Dalit men have attempted suicide over the past week and several buses have been burnt.Dalit groups have called for a shutdown in the state today.



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