In the wake of a political storm over the thrashing of Dalit youth in Una, Gujarat, by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes (Gau Rakshaks), Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the victims’ family members on Thursday.
In the pictures surfacing online, Rahul can be seen taking a look at Balu Sarvaiya’s wounds, who was beaten up with his sons.
Sarvaiya told ANI, “We told Rahul ji everything, how we were all beaten up”. Rahul has promised them that he will do “everything in their power” to ensure justice is served to the family.
Una (Gujarat): Victim of Una violence show Rahul Gandhi his wounds. pic.twitter.com/emGh83I2c1
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2016
Rahul’s visit comes after Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel visited the victims on July 20 and ordered a CID probe into the matter.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Praful Patel also visited the family of the victims along with Gujarat MLAs Jayant Patel and Kandhal Jadeja. They offered a compensation of ₹2 lakh to the family. They even met the four youths who are hospitalised in Rajkot.
Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to visit Una on Friday.
Rahul Gandhi was the laughing stock on social media on Wednesday after he was caught sleeping in Parliament during the debate on Dalit atrocities, in reference with the Gujarat incident. He is also being bashed by the Opposition for dozing off during the debate, a day before his Una visit.
On July 11, four Dalit youth were flogged by self-appointed Cow vigilantes for skinning a dead cow. A video showing the Dalit youth getting thrashed by the vigilantes went viral on the internet. Following the social media outrage, Dalit activists in Gujarat started protesting the incident by dumping dead carcasses in front of administrative offices. The protests took a violent turn as several buses were torched, 11 Dalit youth attempted suicide and one policeman was killed during the agitation.
(Video credits: Goes Viral)
The increasing incidents of Dalit violence and the subsequent Dalit agitation in Gujarat has cornered the central government which has often been criticised for its ultra nationalist, Hindutava ideology.
Gujarat Dalit stir: Cow nationalism backfires on BJP
After storming to power in 2014, the party has done little to curb the violence spread by the so-called cow warriors across the country.
The infamous incidents of lynching over eating beef in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand had already put the government on the back foot.
