Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the BR Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi and said it would be an important place for research on social and economic issues.

The prime minister also unveiled two statues of the Dalit icon at the centre in Janpath.

Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot, Minister of State Ramdas Athawale and Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Vijay Goel were also present at the event.

&quot;The centre will prove to be an inspiration for the promotion of the thoughts and teachings of Dr Ambedkar. The centre will be an important place for research on social and economic issues,&quot; the prime minister said.

Modi added that the government had developed five places related to Babasaheb Ambedkar into pilgrimage spots.

He added that the five pilgrimage spots -- in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Mhow and London -- were like a homage from the present generation.

&quot;I think that this centre is for the youth... Where they can see and understand the vision of Babasaheb Ambedkar,&quot; the prime minister said.

The centre, he said, was a fusion of Buddhist and modern architecture.

He had laid the foundation stone of the centre in 2015.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the BR Ambedkar International Centre would be an important place for research on social and economic issues

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the BR Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi and said it would be an important place for research on social and economic issues. The prime minister also unveiled two statues of the Dalit icon at the centre in Janpath. Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot, Minister of State Ramdas Athawale and Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Vijay Goel were also present at the event. "The centre will prove to be an inspiration for the promotion of the thoughts and teachings of Dr Ambedkar. The centre will be an important place for research on social and economic issues," the prime minister said. Modi added that the government had developed five places related to Babasaheb Ambedkar into pilgrimage spots. He added that the five pilgrimage spots -- in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Mhow and London -- were like a homage from the present generation. "I think that this centre is for the youth... Where they can see and understand the vision of Babasaheb Ambedkar," the prime minister said. The centre, he said, was a fusion of Buddhist and modern architecture. He had laid the foundation stone of the centre in 2015.

Government has developed places related to Ambedkar into pilgrimage spots: PM Modi

Voting in today&#39;s election to determine&nbsp;India&rsquo;s next president has begun&nbsp;at Parliament House in New Delhi, and in all State Legislative Assembly Secretariats.

NDA candidate and former Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind is pitted against opposition nominee and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Ahead of the election, numbers are in favour of Kovind.

The NDA has 537,683 votes&nbsp;including the Shiv Sena, and the shortage is around 12,000 votes. 
 
In a setback for the Opposition, the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) has said it will support Ram Nath Kovind. The party also skipped Sunday&#39;s Opposition meeting in New Delhi to formally introduce its presidential and vice presidential nominees, Meira Kumar and Gopal Krishna Gandhi. 
 
But the promised support from the BJD, the TRS and the YSR Congress and likely backing from the AIADMK factions could offset the shortfall of the presidential votes by a substantial margin.

To become the president, either of the candidate needs to secure at least one vote more than 50 per cent of the total votes polled.

According to ANI, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a former constituent of United Progressive Alliance (UPA), will support Meira Kumar in the Presidential polls.

The party has seven members in Telangana Assembly and two in Maharashtra Assembly.

In the 2012 elections, Pranab Mukherjee garnered 7,13,763 votes, while Pratibha Patil secured 6,38,116 votes in the previous polls in 2007.

The President will be elected by the Electoral college comprising of all elected members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Legislative Assemblies of States.

The counting of votes will take place on July 20 in New Delhi.

Both the candidates have held a series of meetings across states to garner support for their candidature.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday urged leaders of the opposition parties to extend their support to Meira Kumar.

&quot;In these contests, the numbers may be against us. But the battle must be fought and fought hard. We cannot and must not let India be hostage to those who wish to impose upon it a narrow-minded, divisive and communal vision,&quot; Gandhi said.&nbsp;

The NDA has 537,683 votes?including the Shiv Sena, and the shortage is around 12,000 votes

Voting in today's election to determine India’s next president has begun at Parliament House in New Delhi, and in all State Legislative Assembly Secretariats. NDA candidate and former Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind is pitted against opposition nominee and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Ahead of the election, numbers are in favour of Kovind. The NDA has 537,683 votes including the Shiv Sena, and the shortage is around 12,000 votes. In a setback for the Opposition, the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) has said it will support Ram Nath Kovind. The party also skipped Sunday's Opposition meeting in New Delhi to formally introduce its presidential and vice presidential nominees, Meira Kumar and Gopal Krishna Gandhi. But the promised support from the BJD, the TRS and the YSR Congress and likely backing from the AIADMK factions could offset the shortfall of the presidential votes by a substantial margin. To become the president, either of the candidate needs to secure at least one vote more than 50 per cent of the total votes polled. According to ANI, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a former constituent of United Progressive Alliance (UPA), will support Meira Kumar in the Presidential polls. The party has seven members in Telangana Assembly and two in Maharashtra Assembly. In the 2012 elections, Pranab Mukherjee garnered 7,13,763 votes, while Pratibha Patil secured 6,38,116 votes in the previous polls in 2007. The President will be elected by the Electoral college comprising of all elected members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Legislative Assemblies of States. The counting of votes will take place on July 20 in New Delhi. Both the candidates have held a series of meetings across states to garner support for their candidature. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday urged leaders of the opposition parties to extend their support to Meira Kumar. "In these contests, the numbers may be against us. But the battle must be fought and fought hard. We cannot and must not let India be hostage to those who wish to impose upon it a narrow-minded, divisive and communal vision," Gandhi said.

Voting has begun in today's election to determine India's next president

Harold J Laski, a political theorist London School of Economics, taught minds that won seats in the London School of Economics.

So big a thinker Laski was that even Winston Churchill couldn&rsquo;t afford to ignore.

The political theorist of his times, Harold Laski was impressed by KR Narayanan&#39;s mind reflexes and&nbsp;wrote a letter of recommendation to Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. How could the then Indian Prime Minister ignore Laski&rsquo;s words-- Narayanan was inducted into the Indian Foreign Service.&nbsp;

Narayanan who topped the English Language in the University of Travancoretopper in 1943&nbsp;didn&rsquo;t prove Harold Laski wrong; he didn&rsquo;t disappoint India&rsquo;s foreign office either.

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<h5>KR Narayanan&rsquo;s&nbsp;nomination to the presidency was in recognition of his iconic stature, a role model citizen for the entire country, arguably, the most illustrious Dalit of his time</h5>
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After China-India war in 1962, diplomatic relations were disrupted between both the nations. However,&nbsp;normalcy was set to return by 1976. The country needed the best diplomatic mind to deal with China, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi chose Narayanan to represent India in Beijing. After an illustrious service,&nbsp;Narayanan retired in 1984.

After India&rsquo;s first nuclear test in 1974, relations between the US and India were strained.&nbsp;Indira Gandhi wanted to bring normalcy in the Indo-US relationship, once again, the country needed a genius to represent India in Washington DC. Narayanan was recalled from retirement, and assigned an ambassadorial seat in the Washington DC in the year 1980. He served a four-year term, bringing&nbsp;both the countries closer.

A scholar and author, KR Narayanan spoke his mind on Dalit issues, took an active part in conferences and discussions&nbsp;that dealt with Dalit issues. He even&nbsp;wrote articles advocating the Dalit cause.

Impressed by his genius and commitment to the community, the Congress party offered him a Lok Sabha seat in 1984 and Narayanan went on to win three elections in a row. Then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi inducted&nbsp;Narayanan into his ministry.&nbsp;

Before becoming the country&rsquo;s first vice president in the year 1992, Narayanan was already an iconic Dalit personality. He went on to become the President of India in the year 1997- the first Dalit president. As the President, Narayanan served the nation well, arguably, nation&rsquo;s best president ever.

KR Narayanan&rsquo;s&nbsp;nomination to the presidency was in recognition of his iconic stature, a role model citizen for the entire country, arguably, the most illustrious Dalit of his time.

While Ram Nath Kovind deserves to be congratulated for his presidential feat, the future history would ask some questions incessantly, and BJP will have to answer these. Some of these questions are:&nbsp;

Was Mr Ram Nath Kovind an all India name before his candidature was announced yesterday

Was Kovind an all-India Dalit name till yesterday

&nbsp;Is Kovind at all known for promoting a Dalit Agenda

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<h5>Ram Nath Kovind is an exceptional Dalit, is close to RSS, and at that, a designed poster boy of Hindutva</h5>
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What all is slowly emerging is the fact that Ram Nath Kovind is an exceptional Dalit, is close to RSS, and at that, a designed poster boy of Hindutva. Kovind is a practising Hindu, celebrates Hindu rituals, prefers silence over atrocities on Dalits, has no known history of questioning gau rakshaks, none knows what his views are on Rohit Vemula, Una, Shaharnpur.

We are yet to know what kind of economy Kovind has in his mind, certainly, he is not for a communist manifesto, he is not socialist either. Does he endorse&nbsp;a capitalistic order for India, and is deeply entrenched with Ram Rajya, Hindu Rashtra fatalisms?

In all likelihood, it appears to be a well thought of design to market Hindutva in the Dalit bazar that has so far kept the Hindutva hawkers at a bay.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Harold J Laski, a political theorist London School of Economics, taught minds that won seats in the London School of Economics. So big a thinker Laski was that even Winston Churchill couldn’t afford to ignore. The political theorist of his times, Harold Laski was impressed by KR Narayanan's mind reflexes and wrote a letter of recommendation to Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. How could the then Indian Prime Minister ignore Laski’s words-- Narayanan was inducted into the Indian Foreign Service. Narayanan who topped the English Language in the University of Travancoretopper in 1943 didn’t prove Harold Laski wrong; he didn’t disappoint India’s foreign office either. KR Narayanan’s nomination to the presidency was in recognition of his iconic stature, a role model citizen for the entire country, arguably, the most illustrious Dalit of his time × After China-India war in 1962, diplomatic relations were disrupted between both the nations. However, normalcy was set to return by 1976. The country needed the best diplomatic mind to deal with China, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi chose Narayanan to represent India in Beijing. After an illustrious service, Narayanan retired in 1984. After India’s first nuclear test in 1974, relations between the US and India were strained. Indira Gandhi wanted to bring normalcy in the Indo-US relationship, once again, the country needed a genius to represent India in Washington DC. Narayanan was recalled from retirement, and assigned an ambassadorial seat in the Washington DC in the year 1980. He served a four-year term, bringing both the countries closer. A scholar and author, KR Narayanan spoke his mind on Dalit issues, took an active part in conferences and discussions that dealt with Dalit issues. He even wrote articles advocating the Dalit cause. Impressed by his genius and commitment to the community, the Congress party offered him a Lok Sabha seat in 1984 and Narayanan went on to win three elections in a row. Then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi inducted Narayanan into his ministry. Before becoming the country’s first vice president in the year 1992, Narayanan was already an iconic Dalit personality. He went on to become the President of India in the year 1997- the first Dalit president. As the President, Narayanan served the nation well, arguably, nation’s best president ever. KR Narayanan’s nomination to the presidency was in recognition of his iconic stature, a role model citizen for the entire country, arguably, the most illustrious Dalit of his time. While Ram Nath Kovind deserves to be congratulated for his presidential feat, the future history would ask some questions incessantly, and BJP will have to answer these. Some of these questions are: Was Mr Ram Nath Kovind an all India name before his candidature was announced yesterday Was Kovind an all-India Dalit name till yesterday Is Kovind at all known for promoting a Dalit Agenda Ram Nath Kovind is an exceptional Dalit, is close to RSS, and at that, a designed poster boy of Hindutva × What all is slowly emerging is the fact that Ram Nath Kovind is an exceptional Dalit, is close to RSS, and at that, a designed poster boy of Hindutva. Kovind is a practising Hindu, celebrates Hindu rituals, prefers silence over atrocities on Dalits, has no known history of questioning gau rakshaks, none knows what his views are on Rohit Vemula, Una, Shaharnpur. We are yet to know what kind of economy Kovind has in his mind, certainly, he is not for a communist manifesto, he is not socialist either. Does he endorse a capitalistic order for India, and is deeply entrenched with Ram Rajya, Hindu Rashtra fatalisms? In all likelihood, it appears to be a well thought of design to market Hindutva in the Dalit bazar that has so far kept the Hindutva hawkers at a bay.

Why BJP's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind is an "exceptional" Dalit

The Dalit outreach of BJP has become evident with its choice of elevating Governor of Bihar Ram Nath Kovind as the next president of India. There is no doubt that Mr. Kovind on his own is a qualified lawyer and was nominated to Rajya Sabha twice by the party. He not only served on important parliamentary panels but also worked for the organisation. But for good or bad, his Dalit identity would remain the prism through which his election to the high office would be observed because Mr. Kovind belongs to the Kori community within Dalit umbrella. They belong to a less privileged section within Dalits which, in general parlance, are described as non-Jatavs. Post-independence, the Jatavs continue to dominate leadership position within Dalits but Mr. Kovind&rsquo;s candidature might change the game in favour of the non-Jatavs. 
&nbsp; 
It is well-known that BJP over the past three years has been the target of stringent criticism from the Congress and other Opposition parties on the larger Dalit issue. Despite getting a good portion of the non-Jatav vote in various assembly elections, various episodes were placing the ruling party in discomfiture. For instance, the BJP had come under considerable attack from the Congress after Rohith Vemula episode. Then came the elections in Bihar and much-contested statement of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on reservations. BJP tried its best during assembly election to damage control but the statement had cost BJP the Bihar elections.

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BJP&rsquo;s problem further got complicated because of the rise of cow vigilantes and violence they perpetrated. Social media has been flooded with the so-called cow rakshaks mercilessly beating up Dalits who have a considerable presence in the skinning business. Many academicians also argued that by depriving beef to Dalits, the ruling class has ended up depriving cheap source of protein to the most oppressed section of the Indian state. This recurrent theme got married to the issues Congress picked up related to the farming sector through first three years.

On the surface, BJP remained dismissive about the criticism but the party leadership did understand that the debate over the Dalit cause held the potential to paint BJP as anti-Dalit and pro-industrialists in front of the electorate.

By selecting Kovind, BJP wants to rest the debate on Dalit issue. The aim is not to create a consensus on the name but to push a candidate who can send a strong signal to the Dalit community that this choice was made with a purpose.&nbsp;

The message being that BJP remains committed to the Dalit cause. This is the reason why that BJP President Amit Shah continues to break bread with Dalits all through the expansion programme of BJP in India.&nbsp;

Congress may accuse BJP of symbolism but it also took the credit for making KR Narayanan as the first Dalit President of the Indian Republic. It is also not without reason that Mallikarjun Kharge is the leader of the Congress Party in Lok Sabha and Gulam Nabi Azad in Rajya Sabha. Former is a senior politician from Karnataka and a Dalit and latter hails from Jammu and a Muslim. The Gandhi-Nehru family members position themselves as Pandits from Kashmir, and through every important appointment, they try to recreate the triad of Muslim, Dalit and Brahmin. This community alliance building is something which former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi excelled at through her career.

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Another reason for this decision is that today BJP might have strong upper caste and OBC faces through India but doesn&rsquo;t have a pan-Indian Dalit leader in its stable. For that matter, even Congress doesn&rsquo;t have a Dalit leader to use as a poster boy but the party, at least, have a history of Dalit leadership, starting from non-other than the Father of the Indian Constitution Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Other Dalit leaders belonging to non-Congress fold like Mayawati remain rooted to state politics.

By elevating Mr. Kovind through a non-electoral and non- organisational process, BJP is making the benchmark for Dalit politics tougher for the UPA. The Opposition will need to be creative in fielding a candidate against Ram Nath Kovind. It will need to portray a face which either outshines the imagination around Mr. Kovind or be able to replace the very discourse on which his selection has taken place.

Through the first three years, the Opposition had the upper hand on the narrative on Dalit politics. This is BJP&rsquo;s fitting answer to it. However, one will have to wait to see whether this act, in the long run, alter the electoral arithmetic for BJP or just dies after creating a noise on the mainstream and social media.

With Kovind as the presidential candidate, BJP sends out the message of its commitment to the Dalit cause, particularly to the non-Jatavs

The Dalit outreach of BJP has become evident with its choice of elevating Governor of Bihar Ram Nath Kovind as the next president of India. There is no doubt that Mr. Kovind on his own is a qualified lawyer and was nominated to Rajya Sabha twice by the party. He not only served on important parliamentary panels but also worked for the organisation. But for good or bad, his Dalit identity would remain the prism through which his election to the high office would be observed because Mr. Kovind belongs to the Kori community within Dalit umbrella. They belong to a less privileged section within Dalits which, in general parlance, are described as non-Jatavs. Post-independence, the Jatavs continue to dominate leadership position within Dalits but Mr. Kovind’s candidature might change the game in favour of the non-Jatavs. It is well-known that BJP over the past three years has been the target of stringent criticism from the Congress and other Opposition parties on the larger Dalit issue. Despite getting a good portion of the non-Jatav vote in various assembly elections, various episodes were placing the ruling party in discomfiture. For instance, the BJP had come under considerable attack from the Congress after Rohith Vemula episode. Then came the elections in Bihar and much-contested statement of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on reservations. BJP tried its best during assembly election to damage control but the statement had cost BJP the Bihar elections. Post-independence, the Jatavs continue to dominate leadership position within Dalits but Mr. Kovind’s candidature might change the game in favour of the non-Jatavs × BJP’s problem further got complicated because of the rise of cow vigilantes and violence they perpetrated. Social media has been flooded with the so-called cow rakshaks mercilessly beating up Dalits who have a considerable presence in the skinning business. Many academicians also argued that by depriving beef to Dalits, the ruling class has ended up depriving cheap source of protein to the most oppressed section of the Indian state. This recurrent theme got married to the issues Congress picked up related to the farming sector through first three years. On the surface, BJP remained dismissive about the criticism but the party leadership did understand that the debate over the Dalit cause held the potential to paint BJP as anti-Dalit and pro-industrialists in front of the electorate. By selecting Kovind, BJP wants to rest the debate on Dalit issue. The aim is not to create a consensus on the name but to push a candidate who can send a strong signal to the Dalit community that this choice was made with a purpose. The message being that BJP remains committed to the Dalit cause. This is the reason why that BJP President Amit Shah continues to break bread with Dalits all through the expansion programme of BJP in India. Congress may accuse BJP of symbolism but it also took the credit for making KR Narayanan as the first Dalit President of the Indian Republic. It is also not without reason that Mallikarjun Kharge is the leader of the Congress Party in Lok Sabha and Gulam Nabi Azad in Rajya Sabha. Former is a senior politician from Karnataka and a Dalit and latter hails from Jammu and a Muslim. The Gandhi-Nehru family members position themselves as Pandits from Kashmir, and through every important appointment, they try to recreate the triad of Muslim, Dalit and Brahmin. This community alliance building is something which former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi excelled at through her career. The Gandhi-Nehru family members position themselves as Pandits from Kashmir, and through every important appointment, they try to recreate the triad of Muslim, Dalit and Brahmin × Another reason for this decision is that today BJP might have strong upper caste and OBC faces through India but doesn’t have a pan-Indian Dalit leader in its stable. For that matter, even Congress doesn’t have a Dalit leader to use as a poster boy but the party, at least, have a history of Dalit leadership, starting from non-other than the Father of the Indian Constitution Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Other Dalit leaders belonging to non-Congress fold like Mayawati remain rooted to state politics. By elevating Mr. Kovind through a non-electoral and non- organisational process, BJP is making the benchmark for Dalit politics tougher for the UPA. The Opposition will need to be creative in fielding a candidate against Ram Nath Kovind. It will need to portray a face which either outshines the imagination around Mr. Kovind or be able to replace the very discourse on which his selection has taken place. Through the first three years, the Opposition had the upper hand on the narrative on Dalit politics. This is BJP’s fitting answer to it. However, one will have to wait to see whether this act, in the long run, alter the electoral arithmetic for BJP or just dies after creating a noise on the mainstream and social media.

Ram Nath Kovind and BJP's grant Dalit outreach

Chandrashekhar, founder of the Bhim army and the main man accused in the Saharanpur violence has been arrested today from Himachal Pradesh. The 30-year-old activist was nabbed from Dalhousie area of Himachal Pradesh, told the additional DG (Meerut Zone) Anand Kumar over phone to PTI. He will be brought to Saharanpur on a transit remand.

Earlier, two members of the Bhim Army were arrested from Saharanpur for their alleged involvement in the Ramnagar caste violence on May 9 after one person was killed and several others were injured in a clash between Dalits and Thakurs at Shabbirpur village in the district on May 5.

About a dozen police vehicles were set ablaze and 12 policemen were injured on May 9. Chandrasekhar, who had since been evading arrest, was carrying a reward of Rs 12,000 on his head.

The Uttar Pradesh police had recently constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising 10 inspectors to probe 40 cases, registered between May 5 to May 23, in Saharanpur district which has seen bouts of inter-caste clashes last month.

Chandrasekhar had shot to limelight after holding a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against violence on Dalits in Saharanpur. He had earlier said that he would surrender if 37 &quot;innocent&quot; Dalits were released on bail.

&quot;I feel that the UP government has failed to address the issues of the Dalits. The chief minister has lost control over the police and the administration. There have been more cases of atrocities against the Dalits in the past two-and-a-half months as compared to last one year,&quot; he told PTI.

&quot;Instead of arresting the real culprits of the Saharanpur violence, the police has arrested innocent people and put them behind bars. This has resulted in growing anger among the Dalits,&quot; he said.

The cycle of violence in Saharanpur began on May 5, when a man was killed, several injured and around 25 homes were set ablaze in inter-caste clashes in Shabbirpur village. The district has remained tense ever since and violence has erupted repeatedly.

On May 23, another person was shot dead and two others were wounded, following which the government had suspended the senior superintendent of police and district magistrate and transferred the divisional commissioner and the deputy inspector general of police.

The opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have been attacking the ruling BJP over the violence in Saharanpur. BSP leader Mayawati visited Shabbirpur to counter the growing influence of Bhim Army by mobilising her party cadre in the region.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had met the victims of Saharanpur caste clashes and their family members at the district&#39;s border even after authorities denied him permission to visit the violence-hit area. The Centre has since sent 400 anti-riot police personnel to Saharanpur district administration to help restore peace in the region.

Chandrashekhar Azad &#39;Ravan&#39;, a young Saharanpur lawyer, and Vinay Ratna Singh had founded the Bhim Army in July 2015 to serve the interests of Dalits in the Saharanpur region where Rajputs and Dalits are involved in a long-drawn tussle for dominance and fight against oppression.

Chandrashekhar belongs to Chhutmalpur village adjoining Shabbirpur, the epicentre of recent troubles.

Though the mission of the Bhim Army was to educate the community&#39;s children free of cost with their first school coming up two years ago at Saharanpur&#39;s Bhado village, it came into limelight in April when an Ambedkar Jayanti procession was stopped by upper caste Rajputs.

Chandrashekhar&#39;s strength became visible when thousands of Dalits staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against police action and atrocities by the upper castes and emerged as the new champion of Dalit cause. The sudden rise of the Bhim Army under the leadership of Chandrashekhar has unnerved BSP supreme Mayawati, making her all the more worried after he succeeded in mobilising Dalits in western UP.&nbsp;

(PTI)&nbsp;

Chandrashekhar, the main man accused in the Saharanpur violence, has been arrested from Dalhousie area of Himachal Pradesh

Chandrashekhar, founder of the Bhim army and the main man accused in the Saharanpur violence has been arrested today from Himachal Pradesh. The 30-year-old activist was nabbed from Dalhousie area of Himachal Pradesh, told the additional DG (Meerut Zone) Anand Kumar over phone to PTI. He will be brought to Saharanpur on a transit remand. Earlier, two members of the Bhim Army were arrested from Saharanpur for their alleged involvement in the Ramnagar caste violence on May 9 after one person was killed and several others were injured in a clash between Dalits and Thakurs at Shabbirpur village in the district on May 5. About a dozen police vehicles were set ablaze and 12 policemen were injured on May 9. Chandrasekhar, who had since been evading arrest, was carrying a reward of Rs 12,000 on his head. The Uttar Pradesh police had recently constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising 10 inspectors to probe 40 cases, registered between May 5 to May 23, in Saharanpur district which has seen bouts of inter-caste clashes last month. Chandrasekhar had shot to limelight after holding a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against violence on Dalits in Saharanpur. He had earlier said that he would surrender if 37 "innocent" Dalits were released on bail. "I feel that the UP government has failed to address the issues of the Dalits. The chief minister has lost control over the police and the administration. There have been more cases of atrocities against the Dalits in the past two-and-a-half months as compared to last one year," he told PTI. "Instead of arresting the real culprits of the Saharanpur violence, the police has arrested innocent people and put them behind bars. This has resulted in growing anger among the Dalits," he said. The cycle of violence in Saharanpur began on May 5, when a man was killed, several injured and around 25 homes were set ablaze in inter-caste clashes in Shabbirpur village. The district has remained tense ever since and violence has erupted repeatedly. On May 23, another person was shot dead and two others were wounded, following which the government had suspended the senior superintendent of police and district magistrate and transferred the divisional commissioner and the deputy inspector general of police. The opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have been attacking the ruling BJP over the violence in Saharanpur. BSP leader Mayawati visited Shabbirpur to counter the growing influence of Bhim Army by mobilising her party cadre in the region. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had met the victims of Saharanpur caste clashes and their family members at the district's border even after authorities denied him permission to visit the violence-hit area. The Centre has since sent 400 anti-riot police personnel to Saharanpur district administration to help restore peace in the region. Chandrashekhar Azad 'Ravan', a young Saharanpur lawyer, and Vinay Ratna Singh had founded the Bhim Army in July 2015 to serve the interests of Dalits in the Saharanpur region where Rajputs and Dalits are involved in a long-drawn tussle for dominance and fight against oppression. Chandrashekhar belongs to Chhutmalpur village adjoining Shabbirpur, the epicentre of recent troubles. Though the mission of the Bhim Army was to educate the community's children free of cost with their first school coming up two years ago at Saharanpur's Bhado village, it came into limelight in April when an Ambedkar Jayanti procession was stopped by upper caste Rajputs. Chandrashekhar's strength became visible when thousands of Dalits staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against police action and atrocities by the upper castes and emerged as the new champion of Dalit cause. The sudden rise of the Bhim Army under the leadership of Chandrashekhar has unnerved BSP supreme Mayawati, making her all the more worried after he succeeded in mobilising Dalits in western UP. (PTI)

Main accused in Saharanpur violence arrested

The Piano Man is a popular jazz club located at B 6- Commercial Complex, Safdarjung Enclave New Delhi 110029 known for hosting jazz events in the capital city of India owned by Arjun Sagar Gupta. Recently, the club hosted a music band event called &quot;Bhangijumping&quot;.&nbsp;

Bhangi is a scheduled caste community forced into manual scavenging and sweeping work in India. The word bhangi is considered a slur used to describe &lsquo;dirty addicts&rsquo; and forward castes use it on each other as an insult, as well as use it towards the Bhangi community to dehumanise them and reduce their identity to something associated with &lsquo;filth&rsquo;.&nbsp;

When brought to the club owner&#39;s notice, he offered a passively aggressive clarification defending the name as a form of &lsquo;artistic expression&rsquo;.&nbsp;

Dalits protested and boycotted the jazz club on their (now deleted) FB events page managed by Piano Man and voiced their outrage.&nbsp;

Responding to which the friends of the band hurled abuses and mocked them for protesting despite several Dalits taking the time to explain why the word bhangi is a slur and why the name &quot;bhangi jumping&quot; [killing themselves] is an offensive name equating to hate speech against Dalits. The owner of Piano Man did nothing to intervene, stop the abuses or mockery and in fact &#39;liked&#39; the offensive comments made against Dalits on the FB page.

Dalit Bahujans who boycotted the club after being mocked were called &quot;small minded&quot; and &quot;aggressive&quot; in the Arjun Sagar Gupta&#39;s &#39;clarification note&#39;. They were also told that all of them -Dalit Bahujans- are not welcome inside the premises of Piano Man.&nbsp;

Piano Man called themselves &#39;vehement supporters of artistic freedom&#39; completely undermining the social and legal connotations of using casteist slurs, that were used to oppress and humiliate Dalit Bahujans and Adivasis, even while claiming that the Dalits were not welcome in the premise.

After a series of exchanges via social media, the owner issued a public apology. However, right after the apology was acknowledged, the friends of the owner of Piano Man inflicted Dalits and the entire community with casteist slurs. Statements like &quot;Chamar bhangi sale&quot;, &quot;gutter saaf karne wali&quot; (Chamar Bhangi, the ones who clean manholes) and &quot;Go back to cleaning toilets now&quot;, &quot;Ambedkar ki najayaaz aulad,&quot; (Ambedkar&rsquo;s bastards) were used on Facebook. The people who hurled these slurs and &#39;liked&#39; the comments at Dalit Bahujans protesting this event on the Club&#39;s FB page, and were all connected to Arjun Sagar Gupta as they appeared as his &#39;friend&#39; on his FB profile.&nbsp;

The Club took no action neither did they acknowledge these slurs, but once people started sharing the photo of the slurs, they were promptly deleted. The women Dalit Bahujans were stalked online and then slutshamed and sexually harassed.&nbsp;

Another facebook friend of Arjun Gupta who came across as his close associate from the comments demanded a &#39;private screening&#39; of &#39;bhangijumping&#39; and once again belittled the trauma of Dalits and accused them as aggressors.

The community demands booking the offenders under the Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 to safeguard the modesty of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in India and shutting down the club.

The offenders are identified as Varun Bansal, Anshuman Kukreti, Siddharth Wadhwa, Akshay Kapoor, Naval Chopra and Arjun Sagar Gupta for perpetuating, promoting, inciting and participating in casteist discrimination and passing casteist slurs, harassing, belittling and &nbsp;traumatising the Dalit Bahujan community in India.

The Piano Man hosted a music band event called 'Bhangijumping' which was vehemently opposed by the Dalit community, especially when the club refused to acknowledge the casteism projected

The Piano Man is a popular jazz club located at B 6- Commercial Complex, Safdarjung Enclave New Delhi 110029 known for hosting jazz events in the capital city of India owned by Arjun Sagar Gupta. Recently, the club hosted a music band event called "Bhangijumping". Bhangi is a scheduled caste community forced into manual scavenging and sweeping work in India. The word bhangi is considered a slur used to describe ‘dirty addicts’ and forward castes use it on each other as an insult, as well as use it towards the Bhangi community to dehumanise them and reduce their identity to something associated with ‘filth’. When brought to the club owner's notice, he offered a passively aggressive clarification defending the name as a form of ‘artistic expression’. Dalits protested and boycotted the jazz club on their (now deleted) FB events page managed by Piano Man and voiced their outrage. Responding to which the friends of the band hurled abuses and mocked them for protesting despite several Dalits taking the time to explain why the word bhangi is a slur and why the name "bhangi jumping" [killing themselves] is an offensive name equating to hate speech against Dalits. The owner of Piano Man did nothing to intervene, stop the abuses or mockery and in fact 'liked' the offensive comments made against Dalits on the FB page. Dalit Bahujans who boycotted the club after being mocked were called "small minded" and "aggressive" in the Arjun Sagar Gupta's 'clarification note'. They were also told that all of them -Dalit Bahujans- are not welcome inside the premises of Piano Man. Piano Man called themselves 'vehement supporters of artistic freedom' completely undermining the social and legal connotations of using casteist slurs, that were used to oppress and humiliate Dalit Bahujans and Adivasis, even while claiming that the Dalits were not welcome in the premise. After a series of exchanges via social media, the owner issued a public apology. However, right after the apology was acknowledged, the friends of the owner of Piano Man inflicted Dalits and the entire community with casteist slurs. Statements like "Chamar bhangi sale", "gutter saaf karne wali" (Chamar Bhangi, the ones who clean manholes) and "Go back to cleaning toilets now", "Ambedkar ki najayaaz aulad," (Ambedkar’s bastards) were used on Facebook. The people who hurled these slurs and 'liked' the comments at Dalit Bahujans protesting this event on the Club's FB page, and were all connected to Arjun Sagar Gupta as they appeared as his 'friend' on his FB profile. The Club took no action neither did they acknowledge these slurs, but once people started sharing the photo of the slurs, they were promptly deleted. The women Dalit Bahujans were stalked online and then slutshamed and sexually harassed. Another facebook friend of Arjun Gupta who came across as his close associate from the comments demanded a 'private screening' of 'bhangijumping' and once again belittled the trauma of Dalits and accused them as aggressors. The community demands booking the offenders under the Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 to safeguard the modesty of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in India and shutting down the club. The offenders are identified as Varun Bansal, Anshuman Kukreti, Siddharth Wadhwa, Akshay Kapoor, Naval Chopra and Arjun Sagar Gupta for perpetuating, promoting, inciting and participating in casteist discrimination and passing casteist slurs, harassing, belittling and traumatising the Dalit Bahujan community in India.

Delhi based jazz club in trouble over casteist remarks

Prevailing inequality and caste-based discrimination in the country has long prompted India&#39;s lower castes to embrace other religions. More than 200 Dalits&nbsp;in the western state of Gujarat on Tuesday converted to Buddhism in the wake of the&nbsp;public flogging of&nbsp;Dalit youths in the Una district around three months ago.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;We were thinking of converting to Buddhism for the past six months. The Una incident cleared our doubts,&quot; Sangeeta Parmar from New Naroda area of Ahmedabad city, who converted along with her husband, was quoted as saying by an Indian daily.

&nbsp;

The Una incident had triggered widespread protests and prompted the Dalits (one of the most marginalised communities in the&nbsp;caste hierarchy of Hindu community) to boycott menial jobs like skinning dead cows.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It&#39;s pertinent to mention that Bhim Rao Ambedkar, one of the tallest Dalit leaders of the 20th century, had also embraced Buddism due to the inequality and caste system in the Hindu society.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the Dalits&nbsp;who participated in three programmes held&nbsp;across parts of the state on Tuesday said that &#39;harassment by cow vigilantes&#39;, &#39;superstition&#39;, &#39;inequality and caste-based discrimination&#39; are some of the reasons that prompted them to convert.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In the recent past, a large number of Dalits in different parts of the country have embraced other religions to &#39;escape harassment&#39;. Last year, a group of Dalits from northern Haryana state had converted to Islam after a minor girl from the community was allegedly raped by upper caste Hindus in the Hisar district . The accused were later acquitted by a local&nbsp;court. Earlier this year, a group of 200 Dalits had threatened to convert to Islam after they were kept out of the temple in the villages of Pazhangkallimedu and Kallimedu in Nagapattinam district of southern Tamil Nadu state.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Satish, a Dalit activist from Haryana, who chose to convert&nbsp;to Islam says: &nbsp;&quot;The root cause for all the conversions taking place across the country is the discrimination faced by Dalits across India. Incidents like Hisar rape case and public flogging in Una have further triggered the wrath of the community. I am pretty happy converting to Islam and I also support others&#39; choice to embrace Buddhism.&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

In the recent past, a large number of Dalits in different parts of the country have embraced other religions to 'escape harassment'

Prevailing inequality and caste-based discrimination in the country has long prompted India's lower castes to embrace other religions. More than 200 Dalits in the western state of Gujarat on Tuesday converted to Buddhism in the wake of the public flogging of Dalit youths in the Una district around three months ago. "We were thinking of converting to Buddhism for the past six months. The Una incident cleared our doubts," Sangeeta Parmar from New Naroda area of Ahmedabad city, who converted along with her husband, was quoted as saying by an Indian daily. The Una incident had triggered widespread protests and prompted the Dalits (one of the most marginalised communities in the caste hierarchy of Hindu community) to boycott menial jobs like skinning dead cows. It's pertinent to mention that Bhim Rao Ambedkar, one of the tallest Dalit leaders of the 20th century, had also embraced Buddism due to the inequality and caste system in the Hindu society. Meanwhile, the Dalits who participated in three programmes held across parts of the state on Tuesday said that 'harassment by cow vigilantes', 'superstition', 'inequality and caste-based discrimination' are some of the reasons that prompted them to convert. In the recent past, a large number of Dalits in different parts of the country have embraced other religions to 'escape harassment'. Last year, a group of Dalits from northern Haryana state had converted to Islam after a minor girl from the community was allegedly raped by upper caste Hindus in the Hisar district . The accused were later acquitted by a local court. Earlier this year, a group of 200 Dalits had threatened to convert to Islam after they were kept out of the temple in the villages of Pazhangkallimedu and Kallimedu in Nagapattinam district of southern Tamil Nadu state. Satish, a Dalit activist from Haryana, who chose to convert to Islam says: "The root cause for all the conversions taking place across the country is the discrimination faced by Dalits across India. Incidents like Hisar rape case and public flogging in Una have further triggered the wrath of the community. I am pretty happy converting to Islam and I also support others' choice to embrace Buddhism." (WION)

India: More than 200 Dalits embrace Buddhism in western Gujarat?

A 26-year-old Dalit man on Thursday died in police custody under suspicious circumstances in Kanpur, following which twelve police personnel have been suspended. 
 
Kamal Valmiki, a resident of Shiv Katra village, was found dead at Ahirwan police station on Thursday afternoon after he was picked up along with another man, Raju Mistri, Wednesday in a case of loot. 
 
Police called the family of Mistri to identify the body, which was later claimed by Kamal&#39;s family. 
 
The family members of the deceased filed an FIR against the station in charge and other police personnel for beating Kamal to death. However, police claimed he had committed suicide and sent the body for postmortem. 
 
&quot;Twelve police personnel, including the station in charge Yogendra Singh, have been suspended and strict action will be taken against them if found guilty,&quot; SSP, Mathura, Shalabh Mathur said 
 
The members of Valmiki community blocked the Kanpur-Lucknow highway and threw stones at the police station, following which senior police officials reached there to control the situation.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Raju Mistri has been reported missing. 
 
(DNA)

Kamal Valmiki was found dead at Ahirwan police station on Thursday afternoon under suspicious circumstances

A 26-year-old Dalit man on Thursday died in police custody under suspicious circumstances in Kanpur, following which twelve police personnel have been suspended. Kamal Valmiki, a resident of Shiv Katra village, was found dead at Ahirwan police station on Thursday afternoon after he was picked up along with another man, Raju Mistri, Wednesday in a case of loot. Police called the family of Mistri to identify the body, which was later claimed by Kamal's family. The family members of the deceased filed an FIR against the station in charge and other police personnel for beating Kamal to death. However, police claimed he had committed suicide and sent the body for postmortem. "Twelve police personnel, including the station in charge Yogendra Singh, have been suspended and strict action will be taken against them if found guilty," SSP, Mathura, Shalabh Mathur said The members of Valmiki community blocked the Kanpur-Lucknow highway and threw stones at the police station, following which senior police officials reached there to control the situation. Meanwhile, Raju Mistri has been reported missing. (DNA)

Dalit man dies in police custody in India's Kanpur

Thousands of socially-backward Dalits, also known as &quot;untouchables&quot;, protested in western India today against an attack on their members by cow protection vigilantes. 
 
Police surrounded the protesters in Ahmedabad, the main city in Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s home state of Gujarat, to prevent any violence, as anger among Dalits mounts over the attack. 
 
Protest organiser Jignesh Mevani said Dalit youths were trying to kill themselves to protest attacks committed against their caste, which lies at the bottom of India&#39;s complex and entrenched social hierarchy system. 
 
&quot;Neither the BJP nor Congress will come to our help,&quot; Mevani said of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and main opposition party. 
 
&quot;Only our united strength will help us fight the age-old oppression,&quot; the dalit activist told the crowd which police put at 5,000-strong. 
 
Violent protests erupted this month after video footage emerged of an attack on four Dalit villagers who were taking a dead cow to be skinned.&nbsp;Cows are considered sacred by Hindus, and killing them is banned in Gujarat, but the villagers said the animal had died of natural causes. 
 
Dalits are commonly tasked with removing the corpses of dead cows from the streets of India, where the animals often roam freely.&nbsp;Dalit leaders told the rally that a 24-year-old man who had drank poison to protest against the attack died of his injuries in hospital today. 
 
A senior hospital official in Ahmedabad confirmed the death. 
 
Mevani said such suicides were signs of deep despair among low-caste Indians after years of discrimination and violence by those from higher castes who often went unpunished. 
 
&quot;This is the failure of the Gujarat development model, wherein youths have to consume poison to demand their rights,&quot; Mevani said. 
 
The video of the attack showed the four half-naked men tied to a car as the activists took turns to thrash them with belts and batons at a crowded marketplace.&nbsp;Two more Dalits were beaten up after they tried to save the other four. 
 
Attacks by vigilante groups on cow traders and smugglers have increased since Hindu nationalist premier Modi won power in 2014. 
 
(AFP)

Violent protests erupted after video footage emerged of an attack on four dalit villagers taking a dead cow to be skinned

Thousands of socially-backward Dalits, also known as "untouchables", protested in western India today against an attack on their members by cow protection vigilantes. Police surrounded the protesters in Ahmedabad, the main city in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, to prevent any violence, as anger among Dalits mounts over the attack. Protest organiser Jignesh Mevani said Dalit youths were trying to kill themselves to protest attacks committed against their caste, which lies at the bottom of India's complex and entrenched social hierarchy system. "Neither the BJP nor Congress will come to our help," Mevani said of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and main opposition party. "Only our united strength will help us fight the age-old oppression," the dalit activist told the crowd which police put at 5,000-strong. Violent protests erupted this month after video footage emerged of an attack on four Dalit villagers who were taking a dead cow to be skinned. Cows are considered sacred by Hindus, and killing them is banned in Gujarat, but the villagers said the animal had died of natural causes. Dalits are commonly tasked with removing the corpses of dead cows from the streets of India, where the animals often roam freely. Dalit leaders told the rally that a 24-year-old man who had drank poison to protest against the attack died of his injuries in hospital today. A senior hospital official in Ahmedabad confirmed the death. Mevani said such suicides were signs of deep despair among low-caste Indians after years of discrimination and violence by those from higher castes who often went unpunished. "This is the failure of the Gujarat development model, wherein youths have to consume poison to demand their rights," Mevani said. The video of the attack showed the four half-naked men tied to a car as the activists took turns to thrash them with belts and batons at a crowded marketplace. Two more Dalits were beaten up after they tried to save the other four. Attacks by vigilante groups on cow traders and smugglers have increased since Hindu nationalist premier Modi won power in 2014. (AFP)

Thousands protest attack on low-caste Dalits in western India

Indian state of Gujarat continued to simmer for a third consecutive day as protests against brutal thrashing of Dalit youths (placed at the bottom of Indi? caste system) allegedly by some self-styled cow vigilantes. In several parts of the state, a shutdown was observed, besides road blockade and silent protests. 
 
Amid tensions, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi met the kin of the tannery workers who were beaten up allegedly by self-styled vigilante for skinning a dead cow on July 11 and assured them of all help. He also visited the hospital in Rajkot where the victims are admitted. 
 
Bharatiya Janata Party termed Rahul Gandhi&#39;s visit to Gujarat a &#39;&#39;political pilgrimage&#39;&#39; and &#39;&#39;photo-op&#39;&#39; and accused the opposition of trying to make political capital out of social tensions. 
 
With the party coming under increasing attack from opposition over its &quot;anti-dalit&quot; stand, BJP&#39;s senior party member M Venkaiah Naidu sought to highlight its pro-dalit and pro- weaker sections credentials by noting that it had highest number of SC, ST and OBC Members of Parliament. 
 
He claimed in a press conference that the opposition was afraid because weaker sections of the society were moving to the BJP and the Modi government was &quot;immensely popular&quot;. So they have launched a disinformation campaign against it, he alleged. They are doing so because of the UP assembly polls, he said. &quot;They, including our main rival (Congress) are instigating one community against another,&quot; he said. 
 
Separately, Nationalist Congress Party politician Praful Patel along with two MLAs in Gujarat met one victim, Bhanubhai Sarvaiya, and his family members at Mota Samadhiyala and offered compensation of Rs 2 lakh, before leaving for Rajkot to meet the hospitalised victims. 
 
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to visit Una in Gujarat&#39;s Gir-Somnath district on Friday. 
 
Naidu also targeted Kejriwal saying, &quot;Now they are making a political pilgrimage. It is nothing but an attempt to make political capital out of social tensions.&quot; 
 
Attacking Gandhi over his Gujarat visit, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said he did not find time to visit Kerala where a dalit girl was raped and murdered and the Hyderabad university, where many dalit students committed suicide during the UPA government. 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the opposition of trying to make political capital out of social tensions in Gujarat

Indian state of Gujarat continued to simmer for a third consecutive day as protests against brutal thrashing of Dalit youths (placed at the bottom of Indi? caste system) allegedly by some self-styled cow vigilantes. In several parts of the state, a shutdown was observed, besides road blockade and silent protests. Amid tensions, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi met the kin of the tannery workers who were beaten up allegedly by self-styled vigilante for skinning a dead cow on July 11 and assured them of all help. He also visited the hospital in Rajkot where the victims are admitted. Bharatiya Janata Party termed Rahul Gandhi's visit to Gujarat a ''political pilgrimage'' and ''photo-op'' and accused the opposition of trying to make political capital out of social tensions. With the party coming under increasing attack from opposition over its "anti-dalit" stand, BJP's senior party member M Venkaiah Naidu sought to highlight its pro-dalit and pro- weaker sections credentials by noting that it had highest number of SC, ST and OBC Members of Parliament. He claimed in a press conference that the opposition was afraid because weaker sections of the society were moving to the BJP and the Modi government was "immensely popular". So they have launched a disinformation campaign against it, he alleged. They are doing so because of the UP assembly polls, he said. "They, including our main rival (Congress) are instigating one community against another," he said. Separately, Nationalist Congress Party politician Praful Patel along with two MLAs in Gujarat met one victim, Bhanubhai Sarvaiya, and his family members at Mota Samadhiyala and offered compensation of Rs 2 lakh, before leaving for Rajkot to meet the hospitalised victims. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to visit Una in Gujarat's Gir-Somnath district on Friday. Naidu also targeted Kejriwal saying, "Now they are making a political pilgrimage. It is nothing but an attempt to make political capital out of social tensions." Attacking Gandhi over his Gujarat visit, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said he did not find time to visit Kerala where a dalit girl was raped and murdered and the Hyderabad university, where many dalit students committed suicide during the UPA government. (PTI)

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visits Gujarat, BJP terms it a political gimmick

The public outrage over the recent flogging of youngsters from the Dalit community (placed at the bottom of India&#39;s caste system) by self-appointed cow vigilantes in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s home state of Gujarat refused to die down, a day after the Gujarat shutdown call. The reports of protests and violence from across the state kept on trickling in on Thursday too. 
 
Home minister Rajnath Singh condemned the attack in Gujarat and said Modi was committed to the protection of the Dalits. Rajnath informed that four police officials have been suspended in connection with the thrashing of dalits youngsters.&nbsp; 
 
Opposition lawmakers disrupted Parliament on Wednesday to protest against the floggings in Gujarat and demanded Modi apologise to the victims. 
 
&quot;The recent shocking incident in Gujarat where four&nbsp;Dalit&nbsp;youths were savagely beaten and humiliated publicly is just one example of the social terror this government condones,&quot; Sonia Gandhi, president of the opposition Congress party told supporters, Indian media reported. 
 
Critics say Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party&#39;s Hindu nationalist agenda empowers hardline activists to believe they can take matters into their hands and target minority groups like&nbsp;Dalits and Muslims involved in the cattle trade. 
 
Tensions mount ahead of Dalit rally on Friday&nbsp; 
 
Amid torching of buses and stone-throwing, police had to lob teargas shells at several places and impose prohibitory orders against assembly of four or more persons. 
 
A group of unidentified persons burnt three state transport buses in Mehsana district, about an hour`s drive from state`s capital Gandhinagar as well as commercial hub Ahmedabad. Blocking of buses on national highways, especially at Katariya village near Limbdi, connecting the Saurashtra region to central and south Gujarat, forced authorities to suspend services between Rajkot and Ahmedabad. 
 
The four members of the&nbsp;Dalit&nbsp;community were last week tied to a car, stripped and flogged with sticks by self-styled hardline Hindu cow protectors who then published a video of the attack as a &quot;warning&quot; to others. 
 
Tempers wore thin in the Saurashtra region with people coming out in hordes to protest against the July 11 atrocities in Una. 
 
The district collector of Surendranagar announced imposition of prohibitory orders, ahead of rally by Dalits community on Friday to protest the Una incident. 
 
Meanwhile, the Dholka town of Ahmedabad district saw a mob pelt stones at police, who fired teargas to disperse the crowd. The situation worsened as police allegedly entered houses of protestors, beat them and detained them. 
 
As many as 50 men were detained in a police station, which was later put under siege by women, who used utensils and rolling pins to seek immediate release of the detainees. A couple of women protesters fainted during the protest. 
 
In Surat, a group of protesters crowded the railway track at Udhna junction and disrupted train services before police dispersed them. 
Besides Saurashtra, rallies by Dalit community were also held in Vadodara and Patna cities. 
 
The beatings sparked the most serious protests by&nbsp;Dalits in years in Gujarat, with seven youths trying to kill themselves in protest by taking pesticide in different parts of the state, an act that further inflamed tempers. 
 
Cows are revered in Hinduism and their slaughter is banned in most states, including Gujarat, where Modi ruled as chief minister for a decade and spearheaded a 2011 ban. 
 
Dalits in the state, however, said they earn their livelihood from skinning cows that die naturally, buffaloes and other animals, and vowed to fight anyone trying to stop them from doing so. 
 
Police are investigating whether the flogged men killed the cow or whether it was already dead. 
 
Dalits are at the bottom of India&#39;s ages-old social hierarchy, making them vulnerable to attacks perpetrated by self-styled cow-protecting vigilantes. 
 
Several people accused of eating beef have also been attacked, including a Muslim man who was last year beaten to death by a mob in a town near New Delhi. 
 
(PTI, Reuters) 
 
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Four people from the lower caste were stripped and flogged by hardliner 'cow vigilantes' for skinning cows considered holy in Hinduism

The public outrage over the recent flogging of youngsters from the Dalit community (placed at the bottom of India's caste system) by self-appointed cow vigilantes in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat refused to die down, a day after the Gujarat shutdown call. The reports of protests and violence from across the state kept on trickling in on Thursday too. Home minister Rajnath Singh condemned the attack in Gujarat and said Modi was committed to the protection of the Dalits. Rajnath informed that four police officials have been suspended in connection with the thrashing of dalits youngsters. Opposition lawmakers disrupted Parliament on Wednesday to protest against the floggings in Gujarat and demanded Modi apologise to the victims. "The recent shocking incident in Gujarat where four Dalit youths were savagely beaten and humiliated publicly is just one example of the social terror this government condones," Sonia Gandhi, president of the opposition Congress party told supporters, Indian media reported. Critics say Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party's Hindu nationalist agenda empowers hardline activists to believe they can take matters into their hands and target minority groups like Dalits and Muslims involved in the cattle trade. Tensions mount ahead of Dalit rally on Friday Amid torching of buses and stone-throwing, police had to lob teargas shells at several places and impose prohibitory orders against assembly of four or more persons. A group of unidentified persons burnt three state transport buses in Mehsana district, about an hour`s drive from state`s capital Gandhinagar as well as commercial hub Ahmedabad. Blocking of buses on national highways, especially at Katariya village near Limbdi, connecting the Saurashtra region to central and south Gujarat, forced authorities to suspend services between Rajkot and Ahmedabad. The four members of the Dalit community were last week tied to a car, stripped and flogged with sticks by self-styled hardline Hindu cow protectors who then published a video of the attack as a "warning" to others. Tempers wore thin in the Saurashtra region with people coming out in hordes to protest against the July 11 atrocities in Una. The district collector of Surendranagar announced imposition of prohibitory orders, ahead of rally by Dalits community on Friday to protest the Una incident. Meanwhile, the Dholka town of Ahmedabad district saw a mob pelt stones at police, who fired teargas to disperse the crowd. The situation worsened as police allegedly entered houses of protestors, beat them and detained them. As many as 50 men were detained in a police station, which was later put under siege by women, who used utensils and rolling pins to seek immediate release of the detainees. A couple of women protesters fainted during the protest. In Surat, a group of protesters crowded the railway track at Udhna junction and disrupted train services before police dispersed them. Besides Saurashtra, rallies by Dalit community were also held in Vadodara and Patna cities. The beatings sparked the most serious protests by Dalits in years in Gujarat, with seven youths trying to kill themselves in protest by taking pesticide in different parts of the state, an act that further inflamed tempers. Cows are revered in Hinduism and their slaughter is banned in most states, including Gujarat, where Modi ruled as chief minister for a decade and spearheaded a 2011 ban. Dalits in the state, however, said they earn their livelihood from skinning cows that die naturally, buffaloes and other animals, and vowed to fight anyone trying to stop them from doing so. Police are investigating whether the flogged men killed the cow or whether it was already dead. Dalits are at the bottom of India's ages-old social hierarchy, making them vulnerable to attacks perpetrated by self-styled cow-protecting vigilantes. Several people accused of eating beef have also been attacked, including a Muslim man who was last year beaten to death by a mob in a town near New Delhi. (PTI, Reuters)

Protests continue in India's Gujarat over attack on Dalit men

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