Gujarat: Dalit man, mother ‘thrashed’ for skinning dead cow near crematorium

A Dalit man and his mother were thrashed allegedly by a group of 15 upper caste men for skinning a dead cow near a crematorium at a village in Anand district of Gujarat, instead of the place where cattle are disposed of, police said on Tuesday.

The incident comes almost a year after four Dalit men were allegedly beaten up by cow vigilantes at Una town in Gir-Somnath district, triggering uproar across the country.

The 22-year-old man has said in his complaint that the men, who are Rajputs from Kasor village, stormed into his residence on Saturday night and started verbally abusing him and his mother, referring to their caste. When he protested, the mob beat them up and threatened them with dire consequences, said DD Damor, the deputy superintendent of police, Khambhat division.

The FIR was filed with the Sojitra police on Monday. No arrest has been made so far, Damor said.

“It all started on August 11, when the victim brought a dead cow for skinning from a nearby village. Instead of the designated place, he started skinning it near the crematorium. When some locals raised the issue with the sarpanch, he asked the victim to take the cow at the allotted place,” said Damor.

He said though the man agreed to follow the rules the next time, the men attacked him and his mother on August 12.

The Sojitra police has lodged the FIR under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506(2) (criminal intimidation) and relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Both the victims have been provided round-the-clock security by the police, he added.