Una/ Rajkot: The Gujarat Crime Investigation Department (CID) probing the July 11 flogging of a Dalit family by gau rakshaks for skinning a dead cow, has established that the cow was killed by a lion, contrary to what the gau rakshaks claimed was a case of cow slaughter.
According to a report in The Indian Express, investigators are still not clear who informed the gau rakshaks about the cow being skinned outside Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka.
The report says that one Naranbhai tipped off the gau rakshaks about an alleged cow slaughter incident in Mota Samadhiyala. This is according to an entry made at 1:30 pm on July 11 in the Una police station records attributed to “state control room, Ahmedabad”.
But this detail is fishy as the attack on the Dalits took place at 10 am, as per the FIR.
Vasaram’s father Balu Sarvaiya told The Indian Express that he got a call around 8 am from Najabhai Ahir of Bediya village that a lion had killed his cow and he needed someone to dispose off the carcass.
Balu sent his son Vasaram to clear the carcass. Soon after Vasaram and others began the task of skinning the carcass, a white vehicle passed by. A few minutes later, the white vehicle returned, with another vehicle and 30-35 men on motorcycles.
Balu claims that the people who emerged from the vehicle carrying sticks, abused and started beating Vasaram and the others. He was informed of the beating, but when he reached the place, he was thrashed too.
On Monday, the CID had sought fresh custody of the accused, who were apprehended on July 12.
Investigators want to find out who recorded the video of the flogging and circulated it on social media, and “whose orders were they following”.
The role of the policemen at Una has been found to be suspicious, with dereliction of duty confirmed, though no criminal proceedings have been initiated against them so far. Four policemen were suspended on July 18 and a departmental inquiry was ordered.
When police reached the site where the carcass was kept, they found Balu unconscious and called an ambulance.
Police station officer (PSO) Kanjibhai Chudasama has been suspended for “allowing the gau rakshaks to go, after they abandoned the Dalit men outside the Una police station”. Hardevsinh Parmar, head constable of D staff which is responsible for intelligence gathering, was suspended for his failure to report the happenings.
16 people including a Muslim have so far been arrested and are in judicial custody.
The incident had led to an uproar by Opposition parties during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
