Una victims remain political untouchables in Gujarat

The scheduled caste victims of Una, who were beaten up and paraded in full public view for skinning a dead cow by the self-proclaimed cow vigilantes from the upper caste, are "politically untouchable" even after almost three years of the incident.

53-year-old Balubhai Sarvaiya, a resident of Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka of Gir-Somnath district, who was beaten up along with his family members on July 11, 2016 said: "We are irrelevant for both the Congress and the BJP. No one has come to this village for any election campaigning. The Congress Lok Sabha candidate Punjabhai Vanash did visit us in Una town where we are staging protest for over a month but he hasn't come to our village. It seems that we are untouchables politically."

Slow progress in court case

A group of 45 had allegedly assaulted Balubhai and his wife Kunwarben, their sons Vasram and Ramesh and their relatives Ashok and Bechar. The mob had tied Ramesh, Vasram, Ashok and Bechar to a car, stripped them of their shirts, flogged and paraded them in full public gaze. The accused had captured the act in their phones and circulated it widely.

Following the uproar, the state government had ordered CID (crime) investigation which arrested 45 accused and filed charge sheets on them. Most of the accused are now out on bail. The state government's promise of speedy trial hasn't taken off as yet.

"In three years only 28 or 29 witnesses have been examined," said Vasram who came home on Thursday evening riding the Chhakdra, a motorcycle-trolley— the same vehicle in which he was carrying the carcass of the cow when he was attacked.

"BJP is not for us for sure. Despite being a victim of such outrageous offence, we haven't received anything from this government. We have to stage protest to seek land which was promised to us. There is nothing they are doing to give us justice," he said. He added that in the court, where his case is being tried, 45 accused and almost 50 of their relatives come for hearing every time, which was intimidating. "We don't feel safe even in the court," Vasram added.

In the past three years a lot has changed for Sarvaiyas. They have converted to Buddhism and have built a pucca house. They said that "life has moved on but with no job and any other means of earning, we are finding it difficult to run the house. The promise of 5 acres of land to the victims remains on paper."

Una falls under Junagadh Lok Sabha constituency which the BJP won in 2014. Congress has fielded Punjabhai Vansh as its candidate who had won assembly election from Una seat in December 2017 polls. The BJP has fielded its sitting MP Rajesh Chudasama. Both the leaders, despite several attempts, couldn't be contacted.

Accused will vote for BJP

Samter from where five accused were arrested in the assault case, is located at about half-an-hour from Sarvaiyas' village.

"There was no case at all. It became big only because of politics. My son (minor) is also an accused who is being tried in a special court. Every month, we have to go to the court. Whatever people say about us, we are with the BJP and we like Narendra Modi as a prime minister. This whole village will vote for Modiji," Ghanshyam Solanki sums up the mood of the village.

The scheduled castes account for nearly 7% voters in the state. They have been traditionally voting for Congress.