Dadri Part-2? Gujarat cops "force" relatives to accept body of Ayyub, attacked by cow vigilantes in Ahmedabad

Body of Ayyub being brought in Vatva area

By A Representative
Is Ahmedabad all set to turn into Dadri Part2? It would seem so, if the latest incident of the Gujarat cops seeking to forcibly hand over the body of Mohd Ayyub, who was allegedly attacked by cow vigilantes on September 13 and succumbed to his injuries on September 16, is any indication.
The police brought the body of Ayyub from VS Hospital in an ambulance after his relatives refused to accept it demanding action against the cow vigilantes first. The relatives were supported by a well-known human rights group, Jan Sangharsh Manch, with which top Dalit rights leader Jignesh Mevani has been associated.
Earlier, the victim's younger, brother Mohd Arif, along with many others were detained by the Gujarat Police at VS Hospital when they protested against the pressure being brought on them to take away the victim's body against the wishes of the family. The victim's mother threatened to pour kerosene on herself set herself on fire if Arif was not set free.

Police van taking away Jan Sangharsh Manch activists

Young human rights activist Pratik Sinha and his friend Pravin Mishra, a professor at a well-known media institute in Ahmedabad, present at the VS Hospital in support of the family, were charged with lathis at VS Hospital, whereas Shamshad Pathan, lawyer and activist with the Jan Sangharsh Manch, and his colleague Asim Shaikh, were detained.
Pathan was addressing a crowd which had gathered at the VS Hospital in support of the demand arrest the culprits before the family could perform the last rites.
Meanwhile, the situation became tense in Vatva area of Ahmedabad, where local residents, mostly Muslims, came out in support of the family. Many women sat on a wooden cot right near the ambulance's entrance and did not allow the police take out the dead body.
Mevani, who was picked up by the Gujarat police after he returned from Delhi on September 16 from the airport and released early on September 17, said in a statement, “I am technically released but still under house arrest, kind of surveillance, as a team of Ahmadabad crime branch is constantly with me.”

Ayyub at VS Hospital

Calling the death of Ayyub Dadri Part 2, he added, “My detention is negligible, they need tremendous support.” Leader of the Una protest movement against the gruesome flogging of four Dalit youths on July 11, Mevani was detained on September 16 evening at Ahmedabad airport, apprehending he would protest against Modi, in Gujarat for his birthday bash.
On September 13, Ayyub and Sameer Sheikh were travelling in an Innova towards Ahmedabad with two calves when vigilantes chased them, rammed into their car near Honest T-junction near Karnavati club in Ahmedabad, pulled them out of the car, and beat them up with rods and sticks.
This incident happened at around 3 a.m.
Sheikh was also beaten up and suffered injuries on his head. The police took Sheikh him into custody, but by the time they could reach Mohd Ayyub, he had already suffered many injuries. Ambulance was called in and Ayyub was admitted to Civil Hospital, while Sheikh was taken to Anandnagar Police Station.
Shifted to VS Hospital for reasons not known, Ayyub died 5 p.m. on September 16. The police registered two FIRs, the first against Sameer Sheikh and Mohd Ayyub under Cow Protection Act and the other against cow vigilantes under Section 307, i.e. attempt to murder.

Mother of Ayyub (extreme left) at VS Hopital

However, say sources, while the police named the cow vigilantes in the first FIR against Sheikh and Mohd Ayyub and also noted down the vehicle numbers, in the second FIR under Section 307, the attackers have been termed as 'unknown'.
The attack took place despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling 80 per cent cow vigilantes “fake”, asking states to take action against them. Delivering a speech in Medak, Telangana, on August 7, Modi was indirectly referring to the flogging of four Dalit youths by cow vigilantes on July 11.

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.

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.

Concerns raised over move to rename MGNREGA, critics call it politically motivated

By A Representative Concerns have been raised over the Union government’s reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with critics describing it as a politically motivated step rather than an administrative reform. They argue that the proposed change undermines the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to appropriate credit for a programme whose relevance has been repeatedly demonstrated, particularly during times of crisis.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

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.

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