Some 300 Dalits including family members of Una flogging victims, embrace Buddhism https://t.co/quOtEOedQu — TOI Ahmedabad (@TOIAhmedabad) 1524991303000

What happened in Una on July 11, 2016?

NEW DELHI: The four dalits who were flogged in 2016 for skinning a dead cow today converted to Buddhism along with about 300 others, to protest caste-based atrocities and discrimination.Earlier this week, the four dalits and their family members were again threatened by the alleged accused after they announced their decision to renounce Hinduism.Today, the victims and 45 members of their family embraced Buddhism at a ceremony in their native village Mota Samadhiyala, 15 km from Una.Those who embraced Buddhism included Balu Sarvaiya, his wife Kunvarba, son Vashram and his wife Manisha, second son Ramesh and his wife Sonal, two nephews - Bechar and Ashok, Balu’s daughter Vanita besides several other relatives of the same family.Talking to TOI over phone, Sarvaiya said, “It’s been over two years now that our sons were brutally flogged. However, till date, the state government has not extended any kind of help such as land or government jobs. Moreover, we haven’t got justice still and all the accused are on bail now.”“After this incident, there was an uprising among the dalits. Though we became symbolic of atrocities on dalits after the incident, we continued to face discrimination. Members of our own community told us that why were we still adhering to a religion even after tolerating so much. Even today, we shiver whenever we see the video of flogging,” Sarvaiya added.Sarvaiya also sent out a message to the cow vigilantes and said that he and his family members had taken up the profession of skinning dead cattle, which was given to us by their (gau rakshak’s) forefathers due to deeply rooted caste system.“We have been forced to convert our religion because we think it would lend a momentum to the dalit uprising that was witnessed after the flogging incident. Other dalits too, who are silently suffering tortures, will also have to embrace Buddhism sooner or later,” he said.No prominent dalit leaders such as Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mewani were present at the event christened, "Dhamma Diksha Mahotsav" - organized by the Sarvaiya family.The Sarvaiya family had announced in January that they will renounce Hinduism, stating that they still face severe discrimination and brutal atrocities.Sarvaiya did not speak very kindly about Mewani, who along with former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati was invited for the conversion ceremony.“Mewani shot to limelight and became the face of dalit agitation in Gujarat after he raised our issue. But after that he has never cared to visit our or know our condition. I am not against him but we would have been happy.”Sarvaiya even challenged Mewani to embrace Buddhism if he is a true follower of Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar.Heavy security arrangement was made in and around the village along with Una town in wake of the threats that two of the brothers had received around four days ago by one of the 43 accused in flogging incident. Gir-Somnath superintendent of police Hitesh Joisar, five other deputy SPs from three districts were deployed to avert any tension or untoward incident.Vashram and his brothers were flogged and paraded half naked by gau rakshaks in July 2016. The incident had sparked a massive uproar across the country and left dalit community fuming. It also triggered an angry dalit movement in Gujarat.The other dalits who embraced Buddhism were from various villages of Una taluka. Three Buddhist monks, including two who came from Mumbai and UP, performed the spiritual ceremony.On July 11, 2016, four people belonging to dalit community were flogged in public by members of a cow vigilante group for allegedly skinning a dead cow in Mota Samadhiyala village near Una in Gir Somnath district.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.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 had caused widespread national outrage after they went viral on social media