Seven members of Dalit community attempt suicide in Gujarat

Gandhinagar: Protesting against the atrocities on Dalits, as many as seven members of the community on Monday attempted suicide in Gujarat. The outrage was ignited after a video went viral on social media platforms in which few members of the community were publicly assaulted and thrashed for allegedly skinning a cow in a village of the state.

Five Dalits, including Congress leader Anil Madhad, consumed pesticides in Gondal town while two others did the same in Jamkandorana town of the state. Currently, all of them are under treatment in a government hospital.

The incident has turned out to be a major political issue. Moreover, the Gujarat government has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe into the matter.

Other highlights:

• Two state transport busses were torched by protesters in Rajkot, forcing the authorities to beef up the security.
• The police have arrested nine persons.
• Four policemen including an inspector were suspended for delinquency.