Now Reading: Una flogging 10 years on: Sarvaiya family still seeks justice
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Una flogging 10 years on: Sarvaiya family still seeks justice
Ten years after cow vigilantes tied four Dalit men to a vehicle and flogged them in Una, Gujarat, the Sarvaiya family still fights for justice and survival. Vashrambhai, Ramesh, Ashok and Bechar…
The Story in Brief
Ten years after cow vigilantes tied four Dalit men to a vehicle and flogged them in Una, Gujarat, the Sarvaiya family still fights for justice and survival. Vashrambhai, Ramesh, Ashok and Bechar Sarvaiya were beaten and stripped on July 11, 2016, after being accused of slaughtering a cow while skinning its carcass, work their caste had performed for generations. Videos of the assault sparked a massive Dalit movement led by activist Jignesh Mevani, with thousands pledging to abandon the hereditary occupation.
Today, the family sells milk from two cows and two buffaloes, barely supporting seven members. Vashrambhai’s eight-year-old daughter is being treated for thalassaemia. A trial court verdict has not ended the legal battle. Mevani says repeated budget-session questions about rehabilitation assurances have gone unanswered. The Dalit Asmita Yatra’s demand, land rights and jobs in exchange for giving up caste-assigned work, remains largely unmet.
The Indian Opinion
The Una flogging anniversary triggers two lazy narratives: that the movement killed caste-based occupations overnight, or that nothing changed. Neither is true. Thousands of Dalits did quit skinning carcasses, and nearly 2,000 acres of land were secured. But the Sarvaiya family’s daily struggle, scanty milk income, a daughter with thalassaemia, unmet rehabilitation promises, shows how far the state is from delivering its end. The real test is not slogans but whether the Gujarat government finally allocates the 10,000 acres of land still not in Dalits’ possession.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
