Although I was at pain reading in last week’s Asian Voice, “Dalit rag-picker lynched in Rajkot” (Page 26) I was not surprised, as such news, headlines are common-place in local Gujarati newspapers published from Rajkot, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad and widely circulated on social media.
Dalits are being punished for rag-picking, entering some temples, restaurants, horse riding and other trivial excuses by so called moral guardian of Hindu community. It is indeed shame on the State of Gujarat, birth-place of such great and reforming pre-independence leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, K. M. Munshi, Morarji Desai and many more.
Before independence, Bharat was blessed with social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Dayanand Sarasvati, Dr B. R. Ambedkar and Rabindranath Tagore who fought tooth and nail to liberate, modernize Indian society, make it fit to run modern independent India.
Gujarat is birth-place of civil disobedience, the famous Salt Satyagraha, also known as Dandi March, led by Gandhiji, started from his Sabarmati Ashram with few loyal supporters, gathering strength on the way to port of Dandi. Salt was heavily taxed by British when it could be made free from sea water.
Former CM of Gujarat, Anandiniben Patel lost her privileged position when she failed to act promptly when five Dalits were flogged right outside police station, police watching and maintaining their distance. The worse aspect is that some prominent social and political organizations who rush to the aid of victims of earthquakes and such natural disasters, are maintaining deafening silence, so is BJP government of Gujarat.
It is indeed a shame on every Indian that even after 70 years of independence and so many laws on the statute, such inhuman acts of brutality take place in almost all States. It is time for PM Modi to treat such incidents on par with rape of minors, who rightly attract death penalty and other organizations like RSS, VHP, SEWA International and religious and political organizations should get involved, take the lead. I hope some of Modiji’s trusted aids in London who have direct line of communication, will draw his attention and act before it is too late! British Indian community should be a perfect example how we have intermingle, thanks mainly to our highly educated, polite and law abiding youngsters.
Bhupendra M. Gandhi
By email
