#WATCH Suspected cow leather smugglers thrashed by cow protection vigilantes in Somnath (Gujarat) (11.7.16)https://t.co/UTA4qmAPRm



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Watch: Cow protection vigilantes beat smugglers

Rajkot: In a blatant display of hooliganism, local Shiv Sena members stripped four Dalit men, tied them to an SUV and publicly thrashed them in a village of Gir-Somnath district on Monday.The victims, who are engaged in skinning in Mota Samadhiyala village near Una town, had brought dead cows. While they were skinning the cows, six persons in an SUV approached them and accused them of cow slaughter. The victims tried convincing them that they had brought the carcass for skinning.However, the assailants did not heed to their pleading and started beating them with iron pipes and sticks. After stripping and thrashing them, they were tied behind the SUV and taken to the village.N U Zala, police inspector, Una town police station, said: ‘They stopped their SUV on the main road and started thrashing them again. Three persons who tried to intervene were also beaten up with iron pipes.”After beating them in the village, the four Dalits were packed into the SUV and taken to Una town, 24 km away. Here, they were again tied to the vehicle and thrashed in full public view and taken to the police station.The photos and video of the incident went viral on social media on Tuesday morning.Una town police said that 23-year-old Vasram Sarvaia of Mota Samadhiyala village has lodged a complaint against Pramodgiri Bavaji, Balvant Dhirubhai, Ramesh Jadav, Nagji Vaniya, Rakesh Joshi and one unidentified person. The accused are from Una town and nearby villages.‘We have arrested three Jadav, Joshi and Nagji,” Zala said, adding all have been booked under attempt to murder and sections of Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act.The seven persons were rushed to a hospital in Una town where condition of one of them identified as Babubhai is said to be critical.No one should be allowed to take law in their hands. The fact that those brutalized were Dalits from poor families makes the offence even more serious.Strictest possible action must be taken against such self-styled cow protectors, who made a complete mockery of the police department by thrashing the four youths in full public view, not once but twice.