As the Una incident of attacks on Dalits over allegedly skinning of cow in Gujarat which shook the nation is still afresh in minds, an unruly mob attacked a Dalit family in Koppa village of Jayapura in Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka.
According to Jayapura Police Sub-Inspector Chandrashekhar, seven people have been booked in the incident.
He said, “On the basis of complaint, we have booked seven people, including two Bajrang Dal activists, for attacking three Dalits in their house under Jayapura police station and initiated an investigation over the incident.”
Police also registered a case against seven locals on a counter-complaint filed by three Dalits, who were booked on July 10 for allegedly slaughtering the cow in their house under Jayapura police station.
The alleged attack on Dalits come to the fore on Saturday after Komu Souharda Vedike, a forum for communal harmony, raised the issue and filed a complaint.
Acting on a complaint, police had initially filed a case against the Dalit family members. "The accused had gone to the house of the Dalits to find out whether they had slaughtered the cow, without seeking permission," the SI said.
On being informed, a police team visited the house of the Dalits, found them cutting the meat, and booked them. The three Dalits were taken to police station but later they were released, he said.
The next day, a member of the Dalit family filed a counter-complaint alleging that the accused had attacked them after barging into their house. Subsequently, a case of rioting and atrocity against the Dalits had been registered against seven persons, who have already obtained anticipatory bail, Chandrashekhar said, adding that investigation into both the complaints is on.
According to the police complaint, filed by Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum, 40-50 members of the group attacked the family on July 17. Among those allegedly thrashed was a differently-abled man. Three members of the family have been injured seriously.
Seven people, who belong to a rightwing group, were arrested and charged under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Karnataka’s law Minister TB Jayachandra assured that action will be taken against the culprits.