The Odisha Dalita Adhikar Manch (ODAM) staged demonstration in front of the Raj Bhawan here on Thursday protesting against ‘unlawful’ action of the self-proclaimed cow protectors and demanded action against them.
They also criticised the issue of children’s death due to malnutrition in Nagada village, Gumudumaga firing case in Kandhmal district and misutilisation of the grant of Dalits under Special Component Plan.
Members of the CPI (M), the CPI (Ml), the Freethought Party of India, the Indigenous People’s Forum, the Odisha Rationalist Forum and the Akhila Bharat Janamanch participated in the demonstration.
Odisha Dalit Adhikar Manch State president Manas Jena and CPI(M) member Santosh Das jointly chaired the protest meet.
The members said the self- proclaimed cow protectors in the name of protecting the cows, are attacking Dalits, tribal people, Muslims and Christians. They have become threats to their livelihood, they added.
The members also alleged that the Gau-Rakshaks are forcibly taking cows from the Dalits and selling it in cow shelters in discounted rate.
Manch advisor Madhusudan Jadab, Radhakant Sethi, B Ramachandra CST Voltire, Sabyasachi Mohapatra and Judhishthira Mohapatra among others spoke.
In this connection, the members also submitted a memorandum to the Governor, informed Manch State Coordinator Prashant Millick through a Press release.