UPDATE FROM UNA : THIS IS FROM TEAM UNA
Received August 15th evening
Violence broke out this morning on the highway.
We’ve been at Una Police Station since afternoon. The Una victim families, Balubai Sarvaiyya and others who feel threatened want police to escort them back to their villages after violence broke out on the highway today morning. Two cars have been burnt, vehicles are being stoned, roads are blocked. They also want police to put up a post in their villages. But the police is keeping mum. The families continue to agitate in whatever ways they can to express their anguish but the police is clearly indifferent. The Yatra came to an end today on a high note but how much has anything changed?
As Dalits march in hundreds of thousands in the Dalit Asmita Yatra from different places to Una, where four Dalits were flogged for skinning dead cattle, one contingent was physically attacked by ‘upper’ caste villagers at Samter village yesterday. A Bolero with 8 people inside was attacked, the vehicle was damaged and petrol was poured on the vehicle
(Video courtesy Dalit Camera)
Here is the route of this extraordinary journey covering 81 kilometers
Jignesh Mevani administering the pledge that kicked off this militant march from Ahmedabad
We, the members of the Dalit community, residents of Damnagar, (Gujarat,India) pledge that, we will never in our lives take part in disposing dead animals or getting into sewer lines for cleaning. We also won’t take part in the skinning of cows. Instead, we will demand from the Government that they allot five acres of land to us
This pledge has been administered at every village on the route of this yatra by the Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti.
JAI BHIM! LAL SALAAM!
KAFILA - COLLECTIVE EXPLORATIONS SINCE 2006 
Reblogged this on Venukmwpb’s Weblog.
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The Yatra is unprecedented although Dr. B.R.Ambedkar did lead several agitations for different demands of the Dalits of his days.Here the demand is for the allotment of five acres for each family.The vow administered is also new one in the sense that the Dalits would hereafter not work for disposal of dead cattle.Under the circumstances there is a remote possibility of acceding to their demand for land.It is only hoped that the vow undertaken is kept firmly.One more distinguishing element is that of the war cry :Jai Bhim Laal Salam.If this is carried forward there is a scope for moving into the right direction.And that is to capture the institutions of political power .It is only through this process Dalits can think of redeeming their dream.
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Freedom struggle starts here with the ‘yatra’ of solidarity. This would go down in history as the struggle towards ‘casteless’ society and ‘religion’ less society with Muslims uniting with dalit cause. Happy solidarity day…!!!
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