Una Dalit leader detained ahead of Modi visit

After couple of months of Una Dalit agitation, in a dramatic twist in the event of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Gujarat for his birthday, Una Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani was first detained on Friday evening and then released after midnight.

However, soon after he was released, he was put under house arrest until Saturday morning.  According to police, they initially decided that he will not be let off until Modi leaves the state on Saturday evening, but later changed mind. 

Meanwhile, the turnout for ‘Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh Rally’ held at Parliament Street on Friday was massive as it highlighted the anguish of witnessing repeated attacks on Dalits in the recent past under the Dalit-Left political combination. Soon after Modi landed; Mevani, who was also part of the rally, was whisked away from the airport by about 25 policemen who were waiting for his arrival. 

Mevani, the face of Dalit protests in Gujarat and one of the speakers, said the time had come for Dalits to make material demands like 5 acre land for the members of his community in Gujarat and said the discourse has to move beyond merely raising slogans or criticising atrocities.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned the detention of the young Dalit leader. In a micro blogging site, the party stated: “Jignesh Mevani picked up by Gujarat Police on arrival in Ahmedabad after attending Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh Rally. Whereabouts unknown.” CPI(M) also held a protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday.