Gujarat RSS slams attack on Dalit family

Gandhinagar, Nov 2 (IANS) The Gujarat Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Tuesday denounced the attack on a Dalit family of a Kutch village allegedly over their entry into a temple and called for an end to caste-based discriminatory practices.

RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat had called upon society and RSS workers two to three years back to create an atmosphere which allowed temple entry, sharing of water and cremation ground to all in a village, said Bharat Patel, RSS Gujarat Prant Sanghchalak.

During the establishment of a temple and its "pratishthan" ceremony in a village in Palanpur in Banaskantha recently, two kitchens were to be set up in the temple.

"The RSS workers pressured the locals to make just one kitchen for all without caste discrimination," he added.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini Mandal (ABKM), organised at the RSS office at Dr Hedgewar Bhavan in the Kankaria area of Ahmedabad.

"We condemn all kind of violence against mankind not only in India, but anywhere in the world. ABKM workers in Gujarat reach out to people of villages and other places wherever we hear about such bad practises and peacefully discourage them," Bharat Patel told IANS.

Patel said that an annual ABKM meet of senior RSS functionaries was held at Dharwad in Karnataka recently in which a resolution was passed to condemn the recent incidents of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

"We urge the Bangladesh government to not just arrest the accused involved in the attacks but also ensure that the minority community lives peacefully," said Patel.

The ABKM meeting took place on October 28, 29 and 30 in Karnataka's Dharwad.

Meanwhile, RSS workers will be celebrating the "Amrit Parva" marking the completion of 75 years of Independence during the whole year throughout the nation. Seminars, book releases and several programs will take place in Gujarat.

The ABKM on Monday passed a resolution condemning the current conspiratorial Islamic attacks on the Hindus in Bangladesh in the meeting.

Earlier, on October 26, six members of a Dalit family at Ner village in Bhachau taluka of Kutch were allegedly assaulted by a group of 20 persons.

Based on a complaint, police detained seven accused.

The injured claimed that they were specifically targeted after they entered the Ram temple in the village during the "Pran Pratishtha" ritual, police said.

All the six persons were admitted in the Civil Hospital in Bhuj in Kutch following the attack, in which they received injuries on their heads and other parts by sharp weapons.

According to police, the group first allegedly damaged the farmland of the Dalit family by letting cattle graze through it and then entered their house to assault them.

Victim Govind Vaghela, in his complaint, claimed that he learnt on October 26 morning that buffaloes were destroying his farm near the village. "Upon reaching my farmland, I saw that the crops were being destroyed while a group of men were waiting underneath holding axes, sticks, rods in their hands. They started assaulting us with the weapons, asking us why we entered the village temple during it's Pran Pratishtha," said Govind Vaghela's complaint.

According to police, thereafter the group of 20 accused reached the house of Jagabhai Vaghela (64), father of Govind and assaulted him, his wife Baddhiben Vaghela, son Bhura Vaghela and nephew Hasmukh Vaghela.

Taking cognisance, two FIRs were lodged against 20 accused under IPC sections 307 for attempt to murder, 323 for causing hurt, 324 for causing hurt by dangerous weapons, 452 for house tresspass for causing hurt, 120b for criminal conspiracy, 506 for criminal intimidation, 294b for obscenity, sections of the rioting and sections of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe (prevention of atrocities) act.