Sarpanch key conspirator: Victim

BALU SARVAIYA, the head of a Dalit family whose five members were thrashed by a group of “gau rakshaks” in Una taluka of Gir Somnath, Gujarat, Sunday accused village sarpanch of “plotting the conspiracy”.

Whilespeakingtounionminister Parshottam Rupala, who visited the victims at their home in Mota Samadhiyala village, Sarvaiya alleged that sarpanch Praful Korat and one Nagji Ahir were the conspirators. “Korat has conspired this with the help of Nagjibahi,” he told the minister.

Later Sarvaiya told The Indian Express, “The sarpanch had asked me to give up skinning dead cows... I told him that it was my family occupation. He was also against me farming on a gauchar land. He had warned me that he will ‘bring alive a dead cow’ to make me quit the occupation.”

Korat, however, said that he has a cordial relationship with Sarvaiya. “He is levelling allegations against me due to politicisation of the incident,” he said.

Minister Rupala, meanwhile, had tea with the Sarvaiyas and also met families of two other Dalits who were beaten by cow protection vigilantes on July 11. Appealing for unity among all castes, he met villagers at the house of a Brahmin.

Express Rupala with Balu Sarvaiya on Sunday.