Mevani also sent out a distress message saying that he was attacked when on a bike on the way
"All those on the march in support of Dalit rights have been arrested at Mehsana including Kanhaiya Kumar. He has asked people across India to call Geeta Johri, DG Gujarat, at 09978406287 to get them released. Jignesh himself was attacked on the road by abike-riding Sanghi."
Dalit youth leader, Jignesh Mevani, former President, JNU Students Union, Kanhaiya Kumar have been Detained by the Mehsana police for the last two hours when they tried to begin the Mehsana to Dhanera yatra on the first anniversary of the Una lynchings, today. Negotiations with the SP are on. The youth leafers have reportedly told the SP to register an offence and allow them to proceed.They are currently at the SP headquarters, Mehsana.
The march has been planned from Mehsana to Dhanera. About 100 marchers accompanied the leaders, not a huge number, but the momentum is expected to pick up as the march goes on.
Following the homage, Jignesh Mevani addressed the gathering thanking the farmers, workers and the people from the Muslim and Patidar communities who supported this march. He said that Modi’s Gujarat model is a failure and stressed the need to build a model where the Dalits, Muslims and Patidars come together and fight the communal forces which are spreading violence and hatred. He also stated that the objective of the march is to take physical possession of the lands that were given to Dalits. These land allotments existed only on paper. Mevani said that the Dalits would hoist the Indian flag in the lands allotted to them and cultivate them. The crowd responded to this with huge applause, and the slogan “You keep the cows tail, give us 5 acres of land and jobs” reverberated among the people.
Speaking next, Reshma Patel from the Patidar community said that all should unite and work for the development of all communities. She also cautioned the people against the politics of the RSS. They would try to spread communal hatred in the name of the killings of the Gujarati pilgrims who were on Amarnath Yatra. She said that it should be remembered that a Muslim driver saved the lives of more than 50 pilgrims by taking them to a safe place. “Humanity is more important than religion”, said Reshma Patel.
Many others including former JNU Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar addressed the gathering. In his speech, Kanhaiya said that for the sake of power, the Hindutva forces would create communal conflict and try to reap the benefits. He said that the Modi’s main interest was to please the big corporates like Ambani and Adani who helped him to come to power at the Centre.
The gathering was later joined by a group of 150 farmers who are participating in the Kisan Mukti Yatra, led by Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj Abhiyan.
To mark one year of the assault on the Dalits in Una by the Gau rakshaks, a one-day conference was organised yesterday by Jignesh Mevani and his team in Ahmedabad. The conference, held in a packed hall, was also a part of the programmes organised in the wake of the Freedom March.
As per the latest report from the ground, former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar has been detained by the Gujarat Police.