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Gujarat Congress knocks at Governor OP Kohli's door over atrocities against Dalits
The Congress alleged that the state government seemed satisfied by paying monetary compensation to victims of Dalit atrocities, and was doing nothing for their permanent rehabilitation
Updated : May 25, 2018, 06:05 AM IST
 "Kumari Selja")
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Expressing concern over rising instances of atrocities against Dalits in the state, a high-level delegation of Gujarat Congress met Governor OP Kohli on Thursday, and urged him to direct the state government to take steps to curb such cases.
The development came five days after Mukesh Vaniya, a Dalit ragpicker, was mercilessly beaten to death by some people in Rajkot district. Four people have been arrested in connection to the incident. Led by state Congress president Amit Chavda, and comprising former union minister Kumari Selja, and other senior leaders, the delegation accused the state government of failing to maintain law & order, and in providing security to Dalits.
"Atrocities in the form of rape, killing, forced migration, untouchability, and others have gone up alarmingly in Gujarat in recent years. The state government has failed to protect rights of Dalits," the Opposition said in the memorandum, citing a number of such cases.
The Congress alleged that the state government seemed satisfied by paying monetary compensation to victims of Dalit atrocities, and was doing nothing for their permanent rehabilitation.
Later, the Opposition staged symbolic protests near Ambedkar Statue in Sarangpur to protest against the atrocities.
Earlier in the day, Kumari Selja and other Congress leaders paid a visit to Parnala village of Surendranagar, and met family members of Mukesh Vaniya.
Talking with reporters, Selja described the killing of Mukesh Vaniya as a shameful incident, and questioned what his fault was.
"This was not the first such incident of atrocities on Dalits in Gujarat, as we are seeing a number of such cases in the state. The atmosphere in the state is that atrocities against Dalits will go unpunished, which is encouraging perpetrators of such crimes," she said.
Selja also pointed out that no one from the government had gone to meet the victim's family, and described it as a hallmark of the BJP.
OPPOSITION ATTACKS
Congress alleged that the state government seemed satisfied by paying monetary compensation to victims of Dalit atrocities, and was doing nothing for their permanent rehabilitation
