BJP MLA MLA from Hyderabad Raja Singh BJP MLA MLA from Hyderabad Raja Singh

Justifying the assault on Dalits in Una by cow vigilante groups recently, BJP MLA MLA from Hyderabad Raja Singh has said it was a very good thing to happen. Singh, in a video uploaded on Facebook, said “Jo Dalit gaye ke maas ko le ja raha tha, jo uski pitai hui hai, woh bohut hi achhi hui hai (Those Dalits who were taking the cow, the cow meat, those who were beaten, it was a very good thing to happen).

Condemning media and leaders who have criticissed the assault on the Dalits, Singh said that many members of the community have devoted their lives to protecting cows. He also asked if it is necessary to kill cows, or eat their meat.

Extending support to gau rakshaks who took it upon themselves to teach the Dalits “a valuable lesson”, Singh claimed that because of such “galeez (filthy)” Dalits, others in the community who are patriotic and religious are getting a bad name. He told other gau rakshaks that while the task ahead of them is difficult, they must overcome them, and not stay silent “till the cow mother is mother India”.

Meanwhile, thousands of Dalits took a pledge in Ahmedabad on Sunday not to lift carcasses in protest against the attacks on Dalits by upper caste Hindu activists. The collective pledge was taken at a Dalit rally called by as many as 30 Dalit groups from across Gujarat and backed by the quasi religious body Jamiat-e-Ulema-Hind.

Although the Acher ST Depot ground here can accommodate only about 5,000 people, witnesses said the venue was swelling, with thousands taking up every inch of space available in the vicinity. Organisers said the Dalit show of strength was meant to protest against what they said were atrocities against the community, in particular the brutal thrashing of four Dalit youths in Una.

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