Gujarat Dalit protesters decide to hold Ahmedabad-Una "awareness" foot march with Muslim participation

By Mohammed Kaleem Sididqui*
Following the successful completion of the Dalit mega-rally in Ahmedabad in which thousands participated to protest the July 11 attack on community youths in Una town of Gujarat, the Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti, which organized it, has decided to hold an Ahmedabad to Una foot march (padyatra) to “awaken” people about atrocities against Dalits in Gujarat.
The idea of holding the padyatra came from retired IPS officer Rahul Sharma, who spoke on the occasion. It was immediately accepted by Jignesh Mevani, who said, the padyatra would begin in Ahmedabad’s Sarangpur August 5 and would end in Una August 15, the independence day.
Much significance is being attached to the presence of Sharma, an IIT-Kanpur alumni, at the rally. During post-Godhra 2002 riots, Sharma was district superintendent of police (SP) of Bhavnagar. On the third day of the violence (March 2), a mob of about 10,000 people tried to set afire a madrasa on the outskirts of Bhavnagar, a residential Muslim school sheltering 400 students.
Sharma issued orders to open fire on the mob, causing injuries and some fatalities, thereby dispersing the mob and averting a disaster. Subsequently, he transferred the children to a safer location inside the city.
Later, as deputy commissioner in Ahmedabad, Sharma got call data records (CDR) collected from the local phone companies for the Naroda Patiya and Gulberg Society massacre in Ahmedabad. The special court accepted the CDR to trace the movement of the riots accused, which led to rigorous imprisonment to Maya Kodnani, a minister in the Modi government, and Babu Bjarangi of the Bajrang Dal.
Insaaf Foundation leaders, who were present at the rally, immediately declared that they would mobilize the Muslim community in the padyatra against Dalit atrocities. More than a thousand Muslims, who were present under the banner of Insaaf, Jamiat Ulema Hind and Jamate islami Hind at the rally, welcomed the move.
A star attraction at the rally was Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansoori and his supporters, who showed their solidarity with Dalits. They were given warm welcome by the Dalits leaders. Dalit-Muslim unity slogans were raised when the Mufti moved to the stage. The slogans which rocked the air included “Dalit muslim bhai bhai”, “Jai bheem jai meem”, “Dalit-Muslim saath chalega, Manuvadi bhaag niklega”, and “Dalit-Muslim ekta zindabad”.

Rahul Sharma

The Mufti's presence is significant as he was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the September 2002 Akshardham Temple terror attack. He was branded a terrorist till his acquittal in 2014 by the Supreme Court. Last year, he penned his memoirs on the agony and atrocities that he underwent during his 11-year jail-term. In his book, he has given graphic details about his personal experiences of 11 years in jail, accusing IPS officer DG Vanzara and others for falsely booking him and other innocent Muslims. Retired, Vanzara has filed a defamation case against the Mufti, seeking a damage of Rs 101 crore.
The idea of holding an Ahmedabad-to-Una rally has come in the backdrop of Dalit activists at the rally warning the Anadiben Patel government that they were till now “skinners of dead animals”, but would now “skin the ideology of Brahmanism in 2017.” Dalit activist Mahesh G Parmar said the Anandiben government and district collectors should announce collection of dead bulls “as a surprise package.”
Present at the rally were family members of the Una victims. They were happy to see the unity in Dalit community. A member of a victim's family told the rally, “We suffered due to so-called Gau Rakshak, but are now happy because the Dalit community has woken up and is united against Brahminical ideology.”
Criticizing the police for the Una Dalit atrocity, he said they are “not providing CCTV footage” to the family members of that day on which the attack took place, July 11.”
Anger against the established political parties was visible at the rally. A dozen of local BJP office bearers of the Dalit community have resigned from their posts and join the movement against the government. When a few Congressmen reached the stage, they were strictly told to do off-stage.
Valjibhai Patel, a veteran Dalit rights leader, said these 13 MLAs were “slaves of Brahminical parties” and were “useless for the community”. He added, they would “get a lesson in the 2017 assembly election”.
Patel said, not one of them has yet demanded the tabling of the the Sanjay Prasad Commission report on Thangarh Dalit atrocities in the Gujarat state assembly, even though Ramanlal Vohra is a Cabinet minister and Shailesh Parmar is a Congress spokesperson.
He was referring to the September 22-23, 2012 incident in which the cops shot and killed three Dalit youths in Thangardh, an industrial town of Surendranagar district – Pankaj Sumra (age 16), Mehul Rathod (age 17) and Prakash Parmar (age 26). The incident took place after an agitated group decided to get together to file a complaint, marching all the way to the police station.
There have been reports that commandos who were part of the security of the then Chief Minister, Narendra Modi's election rally, which was scheduled in the vicinity, were part of the police team which opened fire.
---
*Ahmedabad-based activist, editor of Urdu newspaper “Tarkash"

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

India’s Halal economy 'faces an uncertain future' under the new food Bill

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The proposed Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 marks a decisive shift in India’s food regulation landscape by seeking to place Halal certification exclusively under government control while criminalising all private Halal certification bodies. Although the Bill claims to promote “transparency” and “standardisation,” its structure and implications raise serious concerns about religious freedom, economic marginalisation, and the systematic dismantling of a long-established, Muslim-led Halal ecosystem in India.

From jobless to ‘job-loss’ growth: Experts critique gig economy and fintech risks

By A Representative Leading economists and social activists gathered in the capital on Friday to launch the third edition of the State of Finance in India Report 2024-25 , issuing a stark warning that the rapid digitalization of the Indian economy is eroding welfare systems and entrenching "digital dystopia."

Search This Blog