Violent Protest Erupted Over Beating Of Youths Carrying Cow Carcasses, 7 Men Attempt Suicide Over

Violent protests broke out on in Gujarat on Monday evening over brutal beating of four Dalit men last week for skinning a dead cow in Una, a small town in Gir Somnath district of Gujarat.

Earlier in the day, seven people attempted suicide to protest against the assault on the Dalits. The protesters blocked NH-27, torched down buses and pelted stones. The protests have spread across the Saurashtra region that includes seven big cities of Gujarat. Their demand is that stern actions should be taken against the perpetrators. As per reports, Dalits of UNA town have also refused to carry the dead carcasses of cow and perform last rites.

A video of last week’s incident where four tannery workers were tied to SUV and were stripped and beaten with sticks by the “gau-rakshaks”, sparked outrage across the country. The victims, who were Dalits, had told the attackers that they were only taking the skin off a carcass. The mob that thrashed the four Dalit men was led by Shiv Sena district president Goswami Pramod Ramesh Giri. They were beaten up with iron rods and one of them died, succumbing to injuries. Severely wounded, the three young men have been in the hospital for a week.