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Five convicted in 2016 flogging of Dalit men in Una
The district government pleader said the Special Atrocity Court found the accused guilty under provisions of IPC and the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A special court in Veraval in Gir Somnath district on Monday convicted five men in the 2016 flogging of Dalit men in Una, the incident which triggered protests across Gujarat after a video of the assault circulated widely on social media. The court has reserved the quantum of punishment.
District government pleader Ketansinh D Vala said the Special Atrocity Court found the accused guilty under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after examining oral and documentary evidence during the trial.
The incident occurred on July 11, 2016 at Samdhiyala village near Una when members of a Dalit family were skinning a dead cow. A group of men who described themselves as cow protectors allegedly intercepted them, accused them of cow slaughter and assaulted them. Four of the victims were tied to a vehicle and publicly flogged with sticks while being paraded through the area. A video of the assault later went viral on social media.
Police registered a case at under provisions of the IPC, including attempt to murder, and under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
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The investigation was later transferred to the Crime Investigation Department in Gandhinagar, which filed a chargesheet against 41 accused persons. Trial proceeded against 40 accused after one police officer connected with the case died during the proceedings.
According to Vala, the prosecution examined about 240 witnesses during the trial. After assessing the evidence, the court convicted Ramesh Bhagwan Jadav, Rakesh Rasik Joshi, Nagji Daya Vaniya, Pramodgiri Rameshgiri Goswami and Balvantgiri Goswami.
The court found them guilty under IPC sections 323, 324, 342 and 504 and under sections 3(1)(d), 3(1)(e), 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s) and 3(1)(u) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Vala said.
The trial in the atrocity case had been underway before the Special Atrocity Court in Veraval since 2018.
