Una violence: 7 Dalit youth attempt suicide; parliament on the boil, Rahul set to visit

The ongoing protests over the brutal assault on some Dalits at Una town in Gujarat worsened as seven more youths attempted suicide with violence and arson spreading to various places in the state. The incidents of suicide bid were reported from districts of Rajkot, Porbandar, Botad and Gir-Somnath. With fresh incidents, the number of Dalits who have attempted to kill themselves in the wake of the thrashing of seven youths by a vigilante group for allegedly slaughtering a cow on July 11 has gone up to 17.

Dalits had denied killing the animal, contending that they only skinned a dead cow. In Dhoraji town of Rajkot district, three Dalit youths consumed some poisonous drink, following which they were rushed to a nearby hospital. The trio, identified as Yogesh Solanki, Vinod Solanki and Hitu Chauhan, were shifted to Junagadh civil hospital after their condition deteriorated.

In Gondal town in the district, one Mukesh Chavda consumed poison and was admitted to civil hospital. In Bantwa town of Porbandar district, one Mahesh Rathod allegedly consumed poison, and was rushed to district hospital, police said.

In Una, the place where Dalit youths were flogged in a public view sparking the protests, one Raju Parmar tried to kill himself by consuming poison. A Dalit protester Paresh Rathod tried to immolate himself but was saved by police in Botad town.

In the last two days, 10 Dalit youths from various places have tried to kill themselves to register their protest. Yesterday, a policeman was killed in stone-pelting by mob in Amreli town. The issue has gathered a political steam with the proposed visit of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Una tomorrow and on Friday, respectively. Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today met the Dalit victims' family at Mota Samadhiyala village in Una tehsil of Gir-Somnath district, and promised them all possible help.

She told the family that her government was taking strict action against the culprits and 16 of them were already arrested, an official release said. In view of the separate visits by Gandhi and Kejriwal, Patel told reporters that the issue should not be politicised.

Meanwhile, the bandh by Dalit outfits evoked a mixed response even as enraged community members took out rallies in towns and cities, blocking roads, damaging buses and even a train was stopped near Vadhvan in Surendranagar district.

Some parts of Saurashtra and north Gujarat observed total bandh where incidents of stone-pelting, vandalisation of properties, damage to buses and road blockade were witnessed.

The bandh was observed in Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Amreli and some small towns in Saurashtra, and also at Patan town and Aravalli district in North Gujarat

BJP uses Dalit leaders to mount defence

BJP lined up its Dalit leaders to mount a strong defence of the party and its government in Gujarat after the Opposition accused it of being anti-Dalit following the attack on some community members in that state over skinning of a dead cow. Union minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot hit out at Congress and BSP for their attempts to draw "political mileage" from the incident and insisted that the Gujarat government had acted promptly.

The crime followed by the attempts of some Dalits to end their lives in protests has seen BSP and Congress launching sharp attack on BJP.

The community's votes are crucial in many states, especially Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, both of which are going to the polls next year. BJP has been trying to woo them vigorously since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.

Referring to the Modi government's project to develop five places associated with Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, Gehlot said that its attempts showed that no party was more beneficial to the community than BJP.

With the Opposition targeting the party's ideological fountainhead RSS over the matter, Gehlot, who has had a long stint in various RSS affiliates, said it had nothing to do with the matter and the criminals involved in it will be punished.

He asked Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and BSP chief Mayawati not to visit the state due to the prevailing tense situation there and said any such trip will prove that they were interested in politicising it.

Flanked by other Dalit ministers, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Krishna Raj, Gehlot said the Gujarat Police had arrested 17 people and a senior CID official was probing the case.

"In two months, charge sheet will be filed. Strong action will be taken. Senior state ministers have met the victims. We will give all assistance, including financial, to them," he said.

Asked about some Muslims being attacked in parts of the country over the similar charges, Gehlot insisted that his party believed in harmony in society and did not discriminate along caste or religious lines.

Gehlot, addressing the press conference, said Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati and Arvind Kejriwal did not visit Kerala and Agra when Dalits were killed.

He alleged that Congress and BSP were doing politics with an eye on the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls slated next year, and claimed Opposition parties raised similar issues before the Bihar Assembly elections last year and "forgot" about them after that.

He also raked up the Mirchpur case in Haryana, in which Dalits were killed and many of them were forced to leave the village, when Congress was in power in the state with Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the chief minister.

Gehlot, a Dalit face of BJP, also appealed to the people of Gujarat to observe restraint and not to do anything that causes tension in the society and harms the country.

Dalits have been agitating in the state, protesting alleged inaction of the state government.

Congress has claimed that the violence against them was "BJP-sponsored" as it was trying to polarise communities ahead of the state election to be held next year.

"I have been trying to speak in Rajya Sabha over the issue for three days but they (Opposition) are unwilling to listen.

They are trying to politicise it while we are doing everything to provide the justice to victims," Gehlot said.