A group of Dalit activists on Monday threatened an agitation if the Gujarat government does not meet the demands of the community by September 23.
They have submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister Office (CMO) seeking government action over a number of “unresolved issues” of the community.
Some of the demands made in the memorandum include conducting caste-based census in the state and formation of a special investigation team to eradicate untouchability, increasing the income limit for Dalits to avail benefits of government schemes.
The representation was submitted under the banner of Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM) and associated organisations. September 23 is known as Sankalp Diwas, the day when Dr B R Ambedkar made a resolution to dedicate his life for eradication of untouchability and upliftment of the Dalits.
State coordinator of RDAM Subodh Kumud said that they wanted to share their unresoved issues with the CM.
“But the CM did not meet us, following which we submitted the memorandum to the CM’s Office.”
The other demands are strict implementation of ‘one village, one burial ground’ policy or to allocate separate burial land for Dalits in villages, giving actual physical possession of land allocated to Dalits under the Agricultural Land Ceiling Act, fulfilling the promises made by the state government after self immolation of Dalit activist Bhanubhai Vankar in Patan in 2018 and public flogging of a Dalit family in Una, to make public the Sanjay Prasad Committee report related to the killing of three Dalit youths in Thangadh of Surendranagar in 2012 and withdrawal of criminal cases registered against Dalits during various community agitations, among others.
