At least 25 members of Dalit organisation Bhim Shakti Sena were detained to stall the bandh call
Dalit activist Bhanu Vankar, who attempted self-immolation in Gujarat on February 15, succumbed to severe burn injuries. The 65-year-old Dalit rights activist was taken to the hospital after he immolated himself in Patan collectorate campus on Thursday over regularizing of encroached agricultural land, where he succumbed.
Another Dalit man Ramabhai also attempted immolation but was prevented by police personnel present there. According to police, Vankar sustained over 80% burns on his body and was shifted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Dalit leader and independent MLA Jignesh Mevani was on Sunday detained by the state police in the wake of the Ahmedabad bandh call given by him.
Mevani had convened Dalit protesters to converge at a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar in Sarangpur, but before he could reach the area, his car was stopped at Saraspur. He was detained by the Gujarat Police “to ensure no untoward incident takes place”.
Another Dalit leader, Naushad Solanki, was also detained by the police. Apart from them, at least 25 members of Bhim Shakti Sena were detained to stall the bandh call.
Hundreds of Dalit protesters had gathered outside the hospital to support the family which was demanding the setting up of a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter and re-granting of land which had been allotted to Dalits across the state but whose ownership titles had not been regularised.
