Rail Roko Andolan planned by agitating Dalits in Gujarat in mid-September has been postponed for a fortnight and now they are planning to launch it from October 1, on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
The agitation was planned by Una Dalit Atyachar ladat Samiti and Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch in protest against atrocities on Dalits in the State. The Gujarat-based Dalit leaders have urged their counterparts in other States to stage similar protests in their respective States.
The Dalit community has put forth a list of demands before the State Government, after uprising in their community post public flogging of Dalits by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes on July 11 at Una in Saurashtra region. These include, justice for the victims of Una incident, allotment of land to Dalit families who have quit tradition of skinning dead animals post Una incident and to those who were promised Government land in the past but have not been allotted land.
The dalits have also announced their intent to broad-based their agitation by trying to bring in other communities to their fold. They have also appealed to people from other backward castes, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes as well as women organisations to join them and raise their issues.