Dalit case: Gujarat Congress says CM Vijay Rupani should quit

Accusing his government of failing to curb atrocities against Dalits, the Opposition on Tuesday demanded resignation of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

"The frequent incidents of atrocities against Dalits show that the government has failed to provide security to them. The latest incident took place in the place which the chief minister represents, and hence it is our demand that he should resign," Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda told reporters after meeting family members of ragpicker Mukesh Vaniya, who was flogged to death on suspicion of being a thief in a factory in Rajkot district on May 20.

The Congress handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to Vaniya's family.

Party's Gujarat incharge Rajeev Satav said that atrocities against Dalits were on the rise in the state because of the government's failure to act against the perpetrators.

The Opposition held protests at several places and submitted representation demanding 5 acre land and a house for Vaniya's family, besides asking the government to bear the cost of his children's education.

Separately, one of the persons involved in the gruesome attack on Vaniya is a juvenile, a senior officer said on Tuesday. Four persons have been named as accused in the FIR, and arrested.

Shruti Mehta, incharge Superintendent of Police of Rajkot, said that the juvenile is 17 years old. Incidentally, it is him who is seen thrashing Vaniya the most in the video that went viral after the incident.

"He is claiming to be 17 years old, but we are trying to confirm if he is really less than 18 years old," Mehta told DNA.

NO MERCY

A video of the flogging incident showed two persons taking turns to beat Vaniya with a stick, who was tied to the factory gate, and a third person holding Vaniya by a rope